Welcome to the Jungle
by SilentDaughter
Summary: Among the last of their kind, the People live in a remote area of the Amazon that is almost impossible to access, hoping against all hope that they remain unseen. What happens when one day a plane crashes near by and a member of the tribe returns from the wreckage with a survivor? Eventual Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) This is something I've stolen from a fic of mine from WattPad and I've changed it around because I felt that I could do it better justice in this universe instead of as a stand alone.**

 **I'm going to try my hand at the supernatural side of this fandom so if you don't like this type of stuff, I won't take offense if you don't like my story. This is going to start out small but if enough people like it, then I'll continue on and see where the characters take us. For now, Rizzles** _ **isn't**_ **established but eventually it will be.**

* * *

From it's perch in a tree, a beast as dark as the midnight sky watched a group of men maneuver their way through heavy foliage, over fallen trees, and around thick mud. The beast had been minding its own business when the clumsy beings stumbled their way into its path, frightening themselves more than the animal. Nevertheless, it yowled and flew up into a nearby tree and then silently leaped from branch to branch, trying to find the perfect spot to watch the men.

They seemed young. They had smooth skin unmarred by age, battle, or hard work. Their faces still held the roundness of childhood merging with adolescence. There were five in total and the boy at the front held his spear at the ready, his animal skin trousers stained with mud and dirt. They all kept their attention focused on ground level which was their first mistake.

Making something akin to a deep sigh, the animal leapt off its perch and landed-quite literally-onto the group of boys. They yelled in shock and cried out while the beast growled in victory. It say there for a moment more before moving off and sitting a few places away.

Suddenly, instead of a midnight beast stood a tall, muscled, statuesque woman. Her wild locks fell in front of her eyes giving her this wild and almost feral look. Her mouth deepened into a scowl and she crossed her arms over her naked chest in exasperation. She had gotten used to and stopped caring that other people often viewed her without clothing. She found that wearing clothes during a shift would lead to their destruction.

"Again you fail to watch the trees! You forget that some predators take to higher ground to watch and plan an attack. If what we did today were to happen for real, all of you would be dead right now." She scolded the group and they hung their heads in shame. Sighing, she swept back a handful of hair, allowing her to see the group more clearly.

"I do not want to be the one to tell your families about your demises. I suggest you seek counsel and work even harder otherwise you'll never survive the Rite." she said before shifting back into the midnight beast and stalking off towards her home, the group following behind her.

Out of nowhere, a large boom sounded followed by a loud whirring noise. Seconds later, a small plane flew overhead at a dangerously low altitude before one last resounding boom reverberated through the trees. Reflexively, she crouched down and bared her fangs while the boys behind her threw themselves to the floor. After a few moments, they all stood and looked toward where the plane had gone down. The beast turned back to her group and circled them, pushing them back towards the direction of their home.

 _Go home._

 _Don't follow me._

They got the hint and took off at a sprint. She turned to opposite direction and dashed through the foliage and trees to where she had seen the plane go down.

* * *

The sight that she came upon was something that she would never have been able to prepare for. The twisted metal of the plane was scattered in every direction; uprooting trees, cutting them down, and decimating everything in its path.

The scent of blood was stronger than the scent of the forest and mixed with the remaining fuel from the plane. She began to pick her way through the wreckage; stepping over torn bodies, bloody limbs, and pools of blood.

The cockpit looked the most stable so she shimmied her way through an opening and came upon the pilot. He was leaning against the controls, his eyes wide and unseeing. Her ears flattened and just like the outside, she maneuvered her way over bodies and torn limbs. It didn't take long to figure out that the plane had been carry medical supplies which meant that the people who had been onboard were doctors and healers.

She felt her heart sink at the thought that the people these supplies and aid were meant for wouldn't be getting the help they needed.

 _Unless…_

The beast shifted back to her bipedal form and began shuffling around the cabinets and drawers in the cockpit and the storage area, hoping for something with a name or a location for which the plane was heading for.

Finally, she found a stack of papers with the time, date, location, and list of all supplies and people in board. She had just been about to head back towards her home when she heard it. It was faint at first but it was definitely there.

A heartbeat.

She followed the noise further back into the plane and came upon a cabin with rows of seats. Some were still intact while others had been ripped away during the crash. Dark eyes swept over the rows when she finally found the source of the heartbeat. There was a woman seated three rows back and four seats to the left of the door to the cockpit. She was quick to pick her way through the seats to the one still occupied by the only survivor.

Assessing any damage and carefully unbuckling the fair haired woman from her seat, the exotic woman cradled her in her arms and brought her outside into the forest. She gently laid the survivor down before jumping back into the plane and grabbing the documents she had found earlier. Something caught her eye on the way out; a leather backpack with a tag that read _M. Isles_ and had a picture of the blonde woman in between two other people. She assumed it was her bag so she stuffed the documents in the bag and slung it over her shoulders and hopped back out of the plane and picked the woman up once again.

It would be a long journey back home.

* * *

She had made it back almost six hours after the plane had crashed and it was nearing early evening when she pushed through the outer layers of foliage and the outskirts of her home came into view.

A few people were milling around and they immediately stopped what they were doing when she came into view. She had been used to the stares-her whole family had-but this time she surmised it was because of the creature she held in her arms. She made it into the inner Sanctuary a few minutes later and now everyone had their attention on her. She mentally counted down the seconds until she heard her mother yelling at her.

Sure enough, not even fifteen seconds later, her mother's voice echoed through the air.

"Jane! Where have you been? I've been sick with worry when the boys came back without you. What do you have to say for yourself, young lady? Don't ignore me, I know you can hear-" Her mother stopped mid sentence when she came to face her daughter. Her mouth kept opening and closing like a fish and made the corner of Jane's lip twitch.

Ignoring her mother's questions, Jane asked her own instead. "Is the chief here? It's kind of important." she said and began heading in the direction of her own home. Her mother nodded and followed close behind, her own instincts pushing her to take care of the battered woman in her daughter's arms.

"Yeah, he's here. He just got back from negotiations. Do you want me to go get him?" she asked and Jane nodded.

"Could you? I want to get her settled and washed up. Do you think you could ask one of the healers to stop by and take a look at her. It looks like she might have a broken arm but I'm not sure. I don't want to cause her anymore harm." The older woman nodded and placed a quick kiss to her child's cheek before rushing off. The brunette woman smiled. "Thanks, ma." she muttered after the retreating from.

It took another minute for her to get back to her home but once she did, she threw off the heavier bedding and gently set the woman down on the simple cot, mindful of the bloody limb. Jane slid the backpack off her shoulders and placed it on a shelf adjacent to the cot and began filling a clay bowl with cool water. Grabbing a clean cloth, she began to clean up the blonde woman as best as she could without aggravating any of her wounds.

She had just finished cleaning her legs when there was a knock on the doorframe.

"Jane, it's Susie. Your mother told me that you needed my help urgently." Jane turned to the door and found the smaller woman with her satchel over her shoulder and a basket in hand. She nodded and moved aside, allowing the mystery woman to be revealed. Susie gasped and then immediately got to work, pushing the much taller woman outside.

"Go talk to the chief. I'll fix her up and stay with her until you come back. I promise." and with that, her own front door was slammed in her face.

* * *

 **Thought I'd stop here and let you guys decide if I should keep going. I know that this was kind of all over the place and it's very likely that I'll come back and fix it up later but I wanted to get this out of my folder and onto here.**

 **Please let me know what you guys think and all reviews are welcome.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm astounded and absolutely flabbergasted at how many of you liked the first chapter and wished for me to continue. And per your requests, here's the second chapter.**

 **However, I have just a few things to clarify for some of those who reviewed or send me a PM:**

 **1\. Rizzles will be established after three or four more chapters; I'm just setting up the characters and some backstories and then we'll get to the fluff.**

 **2\. Someone asked in a different story if I would write smut. The answer is NO. I'll be as mushy as you guys want and maybe even just _a little bit steamy_ but that is as far as I will go.**

 **3\. I'm aiming for at least 20 chapters (if you all continue to like where I'm going with this, I'll go over 20 chapters).**

 **Your reviews give me motivation to write and tell me what I may be doing wrong, what you guys like so far, and what you all would like to see so do not hesitate to let me know.**

 ** **All mistakes are mine.****

* * *

Jane stood in front of the Chief as he lit into her, arms crossed and his face red. He had been at it for the last twenty minutes and Jane was this close to just turning around and leaving but that would only get her into even more trouble.

"Do you have anything to say? Anything to say at all after you've put the entire village at risk?" He asked and she stood her ground.

"What was I supposed to do, Cavanaugh? Just leave her there to die?" She asked, her voice raising with each syllable. The older man threw his arms out in exasperation.

"Yes! The jungle decided her fate as well of those of the others. It's not your place to make that decision. As soon as you're done here, you're going to bring her back. Leave a few rations of food, water, and some supplies and then I won't hear of this again." The older man gave his final word and began to leave when a thought popped into Jane's head.

"She's a doctor. What if we convinced her to stay and help the people? I know we have a few connections to the outside for supplies and state of affairs but we've yet to have someone bring information from a doctor. Cavanaugh, we could really use the skills she has." she pleaded and the older man took a moment to think. He turned to look at the younger woman.

"She can stay if she choses to but until a decision has been made, she is your responsibility. All of your other duties will be passed along to the other fighters and you'll focus on getting her acclimated to our village, our people, our culture, and our rules. Don't mess this up Jane. She's only got one chance." and with that, the Chief left Jane alone and she looked to her mother. The older woman just crossed her arms.

"What? Are you gonna yell at me now too?" Jane asked and flung her arms out to either side. Her mother just shook her head and left. Jane groaned and began the walk back home and prepared herself for the next few weeks.

* * *

Back at her home, Susie had just finished setting the other woman's arm and cleaning out and stitching the larger gashes when Jane walked in.

"How is she doing?" Susie began cleaning up and stowing materials and salves back into her satchel and basket.

"Her arm was broken but I have managed to set it and if it's taken care of properly, it should be completely healed in a few weeks. I have also treated a few gashes and burns but it's still unclear if she suffered a concussion or not." the shorter woman stood and handed Jane a few salves and a pouch with a couple tables of medicine for pain relief. "I took what I could from the last supply run so make them last." She said and the taller woman nodded.

"Thank you, Susie. I appreciate it." She smiled and the healer opened the door.

"Oh! Before I forget, your brother came by while you were gone and took some papers from the bag you brought back with you. I think he might be going back for something." Jane nodded and thanked the other woman again before the door closed and she was alone. Well, alone as one could be with an unconscious woman. She began to think about what Susie had just told her.

No doubt that the young teens had blabbed about the crash. She was just glad that it was Frankie that had gone to investigate because she knew that he wouldn't do anything stupid. Looking over at the woman, she sighed and pulled out a pair of linen shorts and a shirt, intending to change her out of the bloodied and soiled clothing she was currently wearing when there was a knock on the door.

"Janie, you in there?" The voice of her mother crawled through the wood. Jane groaned again and opened the door to reveal her mother on the other side.

"What, ma?" She knew she was being short but she was still a little wound up from her argument with Cavanaugh. Her mother glowered at her and closed the door behind her. "Don't use that attitude with me. I just thought I would come over and help you get her settled." she took the clothing from her daughter's hand and began stripping and redressing the prone woman. She folded the soiled clothing and put the bundle on a nearby chair.

"Come here and make yourself useful. Lift her up so I can change the bedding. Easy, Jane." the elder woman flung the sheet and the thin blanket off of the cot and then fit a thinner, lighter sheet over the bare mattress. While her mother worked on the bedding, Jane couldn't help but study the woman in her arms. She was pale but not in an unhealthy way. Her hair was the color of honey and fresh wheat in the sunrise. Her nose was thin and slightly upturned, leading way to soft cheekbones and a gentle jaw. Suddenly, her eyelids fluttered and the brunette caught sight of the eyes underneath. Her eyes closed and then she tensed, eyes flying open and her body twisting away from the strong form that cradled her. Jane quickly but carefully set her on the bed and moved her mother away. The scared woman put pressure on her broken arm and cried out in pain. Desperate, Jane lowered herself to the ground, arms out in a nonthreatening manner.

"Whoa! Easy, easy, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Jane and I found you out in the forest. Your arm is broken but I have some medicine that will help with the pain." She soothed and the woman whipped her eyes to the figure standing behind the woman named Jane. Jane caught the movement and moved herself in between the two of them and caught the attention of the now crying woman on the bed.

"That's my mother Angela. She won't hurt you, I promise. Now, do you want something to help with the pain?" Jane asked again the blonde looked like she was going to refuse when she winced and then nodded her head.

"Please?"

Jane watched as the blonde took the tablets with a glass of water, handing the cup back to the brunette when she was done.

"Better?" Angela asked and the younger woman nodded.

"Thank you." It was silent before Angela spoke up.

"What's your name, honey? We gotta call you by something." The gentle tease eased a slight smile from the slight woman.

"My name is Maura. Maura Isles."

* * *

Maura had fallen asleep and left Jane to watch over her from her place across from the cot while Angela had made herself comfortable on one of the chairs in the small living room. There was something about this woman that Jane couldn't wrap her brain around. Physically, the woman was as imposing as a kitten but when Maura flung herself out of her grasp, Jane could feel the strength lying at the surface. Her eyes had been the most vexing swirl of green and brown Jane had ever seen. The green was similar to that of the vivid moss that grew on the trees while the brown looked like the dark sand that lined the sides of the wide rivers. She was light too; weighing no more than some of the teenage boys who had been out training in the forest that morning.

"There's something special about that girl, Janie. I can feel it." Angela whispered from her chair on Jane's right side. Broken from her thoughts, she looked to her mother.

"You're just sayin' that because there's someone new you can smother." Jane joked and her mother swatted at her. The younger woman chuckled and shifted so her legs were splayed out in front of her. She fidgeted for a few more minutes.

"If you wanna shift and go run around, go ahead. I don't mind watching over her." The elder woman offered but her daughter shook her head. "Nah, I wanna be here in case she wakes up. Besides, you heard what Cavanaugh said. She's my responsibility until she either joins the village or she leaves." Silence fell upon both women and neither spoke for hours until there was a commotion from the inner Sanctuary. Angela was the first one out the door followed by Jane, the latter not moving more than ten feet from her home.

"Who is it ma? What's going on?" Jane asked as she began to grow impatient. Her mother stepped close to the ledge of the walkway and leaned against the railing.

"It's Frankie. He's come back with the rest of the group. It looks like they bought supplies back with them...a lot of supplies." she trailed off and Jane watched as her brother and the group he took with him began hauling in the large crates; some of the larger shifters had harnesses to pull the heaviest of materials.

"Ma, stay with Maura. I'll be right back." Jane had barely gotten the request out when she vaulted over the railing and landed with a graceful crouch on the ground twenty feet below. She stood and jogged to where the returning group had gathered.

"Frankie!" The younger man turned around and greeted his sister, handing back the lists that contained the supplies. "I hope you don't mind that I took these. I figured that it would be better if we went back and got the supplies right away before someone else found them." He admitted and Jane couldn't help but feel anything but pride for her younger brother. She slung an arm over his shoulders and pulled him in for a sideways hug.

"You did good, Frankie." She turned to another one of the group members. "Can you go and get the Chief and the Elder Healer? We need to figure out what to do with all this stuff. The man nodded and took off for the center of the village where Cavanaugh's home was.

"What now, Rizzoli? My time doesn't revolve around you." The older man grumbled and instead of giving a biting retort, Jane exhaled and help out the lists of supplies. "While I was looking around the plane, I found these lists along with a few other documents containing forms and a bunch of inventories that were meant to reach a settlement about 160 miles Northwest of here. I figured that since there are so much supplies, we could set aside the supplies are marked 'urgent' or 'critical' and keep the rest. Then when Maura is well enough-"

"Maura? You mean that woman you found?" Frankie interrupted and Jane sent him a glare.

"When Maura is well enough, I could go with a small group and deliver the supplies to them. I think we would be okay with the remaining supplies; it's definitely more than we've ever had at once before." she said and the older man just nodded. The Elder Healer gave the younger woman a gentle smiled and put her hand on Jane's shoulder.

"That is a very wise and thoughtful idea. I'll bring the other supplies with me to the cabin and we can store the other ones in the longhouse until you're ready to move it." She patted Jane's shoulder and motioned for some of the guys to help with the supplies. When they had gone, Jane helped her brother move the remaining boxes into the longhouse.

"I heard that you're on outsider duty until a decision is made. You okay with that?" The younger brother asked. Jane shrugged and ran a hand through her midnight curls. "I'm not sure yet. She was awake for all of five minutes but I can already tell that I'm gonna have my hands full." She admitted but missed the look Frankie gave her. "I'm sure you'll be fine. There's nothing that Jane Rizzoli can't handle. Besides, you've got mom and I to help out when you need it." He offered and Jane gave him another smile.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Neither one got a chance to say anything else when Angela's shrill voice echoed off of the walls of Sanctuary. Sparing one last glance at her brother, Jane took off like a bullet.

* * *

 **I know I said it before at the beginning but I just wanted to thank everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed in the first chapter of this story from the bottom of heart. I never imagined that this would have gotten as much popularity or have been received as well as it has been.**

 **You guys are my motivation to write and I sincerely thank each and every one of you guys.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just wanted to take another moment to thank each and every one of you guys for your kind reviews and for all the follows and favorites to this story.**

The moment Jane opened the door to her home, she found herself dodging a clay bowl. She ducked just in time and took in the scene before her. Apparently, Maura had woken up and had forgotten that she had already met Jane.

"Woah! Maura, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you." Jane tried to defuse the situation before Maura hurt herself. The smaller woman had literally backed herself as far as she could back against the wall the cot was against. Finally realizing that there was another person in the room, Maura calmed down a little and Jane watched as her chest heaved with frantic breaths.

"There you go. Just breathe. I'm Jane, remember we met a few hours ago? I gave you some pain medication for your broken arm." The taller woman lowered her voice to something she hoped would soothe the other woman. At last, Maura had calmed down to a level where she was comfortable enough to sit forward a little more than she had been. She was quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke up.

"I remember. You're Jane so that must make you Angela; Jane's mother." She said and Angela smiled. Jane nodded her head, a small smile of her own creeping its way across her face. Jane's mother stood and came to stand next to her daughter.

"Well, I'll leave the two of you to talk through everything. I'm sure you have a lot of questions and you can't do that on a full stomach. Janie, talk to the poor girl and then come down by me; I'll make a late lunch and then Maura can ask all the questions she wants. I'm sure Cavanaugh will want to speak to the two of you as well." She said and her daughter nodded. Sparing one last glance at the woman on the bed, the elder Rizzoli left her child's home, a knowing grin snaking its way across her face. Back inside, Jane removed herself from her hunched over position to sit on the chair her mother had previously occupied.

"So you probably want to know what's going on."

Jane started and Maura nodded. "Well, I was out training a group of teens when we heard a loud boom. I sent them back here and continued on to find out what happened. I came across your plane and after searching around I found the manifest for the passengers and the cargo. I was about to leave when I heard you. I stabilized you and moved you out to the jungle before going on to grab the documents and your bag. I picked you up and made the trek back here." She concluded the short, clean version of the story, making sure to keep the supernatural side out until she had a chance to explain. The blonde across from her eyes the leather bag on the shelf.

"You can go ahead and go through it to make sure everything you need is there. If it's not, I'll send someone back to the wreckage to retrieve it or I'll go myself." without waiting for further permission, the small woman grabbed her bag and began rifling through it; pulling out various objects and possessions. Once she found everything to her liking, Maura carefully replaced her things in her bag and dipped it up. Suddenly, her whole body flinched and she clutched at the shirt on her body. Sensing where this was going, Jane held out her hands.

"My mother changed you out of your ruined clothing after Susie-she's one of the healers we have here-checked you over. Your other clothes are by bundled up in the chest next to the bed if you want them. I also tried my best to wash you off around your clothes but I'll take you to the bath house later if you want a proper bath." both women were silent as they studied each other. Jane was taking in the new patterns and swirls of the honey blonde's eyes while the blonde was cataloguing every feature of the brunette seated in front of her.

She was tall but not physically imposing. Her features were strong and sharp but held a feminine roundness to them. Jane's eyes were round and had a color similar to the richest of coffee. She was thin but not malnourished; Maura could see the muscles in her legs and in her arms. The brunettes hair was wild with large curls tumbling over his shoulders and with her hands exposed to the doctor, she could see faint pink scars on the palms of the other woman's hands.

"What happened to the supplies? To the people I was with?" Maura asked and Jane felt her heart grow heavy.

"We brought all the supplies here. We figured that the non essential or vital supplies would be brought to their destinations while we kept everything else that wasn't important." Jane paused, unsure how to continue on. She leaned forward, her elbows testing on her knees.

"You were the only survivor. I'm sorry, Maura." it was out and there was nothing the shifter could do to take it back or make it hurt less. She watched as the hazel eyes began to water before the tears spilled down her cheeks. She cried for a few minutes before wiping her face and scooting to the end of the bed.

"I think I would like to speak with your mother...and perhaps go for a proper bath, now." she requested and the brunette felt herself complying immediately. She stood and held out her arm.

"C'mon. I'll take you to my ma's and then to the bath house. I'm sure I can delay the chief for a little while longer." the blonde woman followed behind, making sure to keep her distance. When they stepped out of Jane's home, she was taken aback by the beauty of her home. The brunettes home was made of a mix of lumber and stone. It was modestly sized and was nestled against a wall of the cave.

It wasn't a cave, persay, but the house and the entire village rested within an incredibly large outcropping of stone. It was beautiful. There were emerald green vines creeping their way through the opening of the cave, trees as wide as houses littered around the opening and few even managed to grow inside as well.

Maura was careful as she followed Jane down the inclines to the level ground below. "What is this place? I've never seen anything like it." She asked as she continued examining everything around her. People had begun staring but she didn't pay them any attention. Jane half turned to face her.

"This is Sanctuary. The last of my people have been living here for a little over two hundred years." She said and suddenly Jane felt the collision of a smaller body against hers.

"What the-?" before she could ask what was wrong with the other woman, a rather large lion ambled its way past them; flicking his ears in greeting at Jane.

"What? You never seen a lion before?"

Safely within the confines of her mother's home, Jane watched as her mother began plating up food for the two younger women. The latter had been staring at her brunette counterpart for the last ten minutes. Finally, Angela brought over the plates and set them down, snapping the hazel eyed woman out of her trance.

"Are you going to explain what the hell is going on here? There's no way a lion just walked past us and didn't attack." She was beginning to grow agitated again.

"If you want me to continue explaining, you have got to calm down. I get that you're super confused and you have no clue what's going on but I wrong want you hurting yourself. Okay? Can you do that?" she watched as the blonde took a few deep breathes and then nodded, injured arm tucked against her chest. Jane looked at her mother and the older woman gave her an encouraging smile.

"Alright. As I told you before, my people have been living here for a little over two hundred years. Their blood -my blood- is different than yours. See, some of us have the ability to shift."

"Shift?"

"Yeah...I don't know how to explain it. Remember the lion that passed us on our way here? He's a shifter. He has the ability to shift into that alternate form when he wants but other than that he's as human as you and I." the blonde was so close to just getting up and leaving. There was no way that what Jane was saying was true. She had to be seeing things. Maybe she had bad concussions and she was still asleep on the cot in Jane's home. As if reading her mind, Angela placed her hand on the younger woman's arm.

"Sweetheart, I know it seems like a lot and that none of this could be possible but it is. People like us have always been around but because of what we are, my kind have been picked off one by one. Now, everyone in Sanctuary is all that there's left."

 **I thought that I'd end it here and continue on in the next chapter. Also, I'll be switching between Jane and Maura's point of views so we can see better into their thoughts.**

 **Again, I would just like to thank everyone so much for all the support this story has been getting. Without you guys, I probably wouldn't have decided to keep going.**

 **I hope you guys continue to stick around and see the journey our two favorite girls embark upon. Your reviews are always welcome and don't hesitate to drop some suggestions!**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	4. Chapter 4

**I started this chapter immediately after posting the last one so I'll save any A/N until the end.**

 **For now, enjoy!**

 **All mistakes are mine.**

Maura's p.o.v.

There was absolutely no way that anything they were saying was true. There had to be rational, scientific explanation for the Panthera leo. Not to mention that the size of the one I had seen earlier had to be twice the size of a regular lion.

The average male lion was about 4 feet in height at the shoulder, 5 ½ to 8 feet in length, and weighing 410 to 430 pounds. The lion I had seen had been a good foot or so taller, about three feet longer and a good hundred pounds heavier. As a scientist, I know that are instances where any creature can defy the norm. However, if anything that Jane and Angela were saying was true, everything I believed in; everything that I had come to trust in was about to be shaken.

"There's got to be some kind of explanation. I mean absolutely no offense but 'shifters' as you call them, shouldn't exist. As a doctor and as a scientist, I've dedicated my whole life to the rationale of everything life is built upon." I said and I could see something mournful swirl in Angela's eyes.

"I believe you, Maura. You believing in science is like me believing in God. It's something wholesome that you can put all of your trust and find your answers in. But honey, I promise you that everything you'll see while you're here is nothing but the truth. Nothing is magic or a trick of the eye. Sometimes science doesn't have an explanation for everything." The older woman gave me a gentle smile and took a bite of the meat that was portioned on her plate. I guess Jane caught me staring and pushed the plate in front of me closer.

"It's just venison, potatoes, bread, and water. Nothing fancy and nothing weird. Once you've had a little to eat, I promise I'll give you some more answers." Jane promised with a little smile and I couldn't help but believe her.

This little voice in the back of my head kept telling me that it was okay to believe her and that for some reason she wouldn't hurt me.

 **R &I**

By the time the three of us had finished eating, it had been about two hours since I had woken up and thrust into this new and unusual world. Jane and her mother had also been telling me a little about the history of the people and about Sanctuary.

Originally, her People had lived in every corner of the world and on every continent. They lived in villages and in cities with regular people for centuries before they began to be purged from their homes. Along the way, many were captured and forced to entertain crowds of people. Not to long after, they began to be killed off and within 125 years, their numbers had been cut down to half its population. 175 more years later and the people in Sanctuary were all that remained. Jane's bloodline originated from Boston, Massachusetts and her family had been persecuted and fell victim to the Salem Witch Trials between 1692 and 1693. Fast forward 300 years and all that remained were her parents, two brothers, and a nephew.

Angela had told of a few cousins who had gone on their own way after hearing of another settlement but no one was sure if they had made it to their destination. There was still so much to ask and learn but one question had been niggling at the back of my mind. I looked from one woman to the other.

"Do either of you shift?" I asked and to my surprise, Angela began to laugh. Confused, I waited for her to explain.

"I like you. Not afraid to speak your mind but no, I don't shift. I wasn't born with that gift." she said and turned to her daughter. She nodded and my curiosity skyrocketed.

"Would you be willing to show me? If I may be so forward but I would guess you to be some sort of feline." I watched as Jane's eyes grow wide before they began to crease at the edges, a smirk appearing on her face. She crossed her arms over the table and leaned forward.

"Oh yeah? What made you come up with that?"

"Well, you're tall and thin but you've got great musculature. I observed the way you walk on the way here and it's fluid and smooth while being calculated. You've got this graceful air about you but you emit this aura of strength at the same time." I admitted and I watched as the brunette across from me began to blush. Again, Jane's mother began laughing.

"I don't think I've ever seen Janie blush that much in her entire life! Not even when she shifted for the first time and was caught naked trying to sneak back into the house before someone saw her." She explained between bellows of laughter and Jane only blushed brighter.

"Ma! Come on, enough with that story already! Maura, I'm sorry for my mothers behavior but we gotta go talk to Cavanaugh before he sends someone ever to grab you. Ma, I love you but I gotta go. Tell Frankie to meet us at the Chief's in about twenty minutes." Jane kissed her mother on the cheek and gently tugged on my arm. The moment her hand touched my forearm, bolts of electricity ricocheted up my arm and throughout my entire body. Jane must have felt it too because her eyes were as wide as saucers. A plate crashing to the floor broke us out of our trance and Jane retreated so quickly that I began to question if she had even been touching me in the first place.

She opened the door and ushered me out. I missed the look mother gave to daughter. Stepping around me, Jane began heading in the opposite direction of the way we came from her home. "Come on. We better go talk to Cavanaugh while he's in a good mood." without saying anything more, she stalked off and left me to catch up.

 **R &I**

Cavanaugh was the complete opposite of what I expected. He was a few inches taller than Jane and was built with solid muscle. His hair was cut close to the scalp and was beginning to gray around the temples. His face showed lines with age and his hands proved all the hard work he had done in his life. He had on a blue shirt and a pair of dark pants.

"Jane."

"Cavanaugh." They stared each other down before the older man turned to me.

"I see you're finally awake. I'm sorry to hear about your friends. You have my deepest condolences." he said.

"Thank you." it was silent for a moment before he turned His attention back to Jane. "I'm assuming you told her about Sanctuary and about the rules we have." He asked and the brunette nodded, her arms crossing against her waist.

"Yes. My mother and I spent the last two hours telling Maura all the important stuff. She understands that what's here is important and sacred and must not be shared with anyone else. She's given me her word." The older man didn't look convinced but he nodded anyways.

"Now, it just comes down to you and the decision you'll make. Will you stay and become one of the people or do you want to leave? Just remember that if you choose to leave, you cannot breathe a word of anything you've seen here to anyone." he said, blue eyes piercing into my own hazel ones. Coffee brown soon joined in and that voice in the back of my head answered before I could.

"I want to stay."

There was something in Jane's expression that looked happy yet pained at the same time. Cavanaugh nodded and turned to Jane once more.

"Until she is trained and can provide for herself and the rest of the people, you are relieved of your duties as hunter and warrior. You are to begin her training and her teaching at the start of the new week. From here on out she is your responsibility and her actions will reflect directly back on you." he declared and I watched on as Jane's whole body stiffened and her shoulders tensed.

"As for her living arrangements, I'll leave that to you to decide. If she's a doctor, I would like for her to begin meeting with our Healer as soon as possible. After that, you can decide what she does." Both beings stared at each other again and neither seemed to want to back down until there was a knock on the door.

"Jane? You alright in there? Ma sent me down." The voice on the other side of the bed must have been Frankie. Jane gave one last look to the Chief before turning on her heel and walking right through the door. I have the elder man a polite smile before following Jane's retreating figure. A few feet from the door, Jane stood close to another figure. He man was about the same height and from what I could tell, the same features.

"Maura, this is Frankie. My younger brother. Frankie, this is Maura. She's decided to stay here." Jane introduced the two of us and he held out his hand in greeting. As I shook it, I couldn't help but notice that the electrifying sensation I felt with Jane wasn't present in the younger man. Frankie smiled and after pulling his arm away, he slung it over his sister's shoulder.

"Well, Maura, I wish you the best of luck if you've been paired with my sister. She can be a real pain in the ass when she-" the man was cut off by his siblings elbow to the gut.

"Alright, alright Frankie you've had your fun. Now I've got a favor to ask of you. Maura here saw James earlier and doesn't quite believe that some of us can shift." Jane said and her brother flung his arms out to either side.

"So you want me to shift for her? Why can't you do it? You're her guide now." He began complaining and Jane gave a deep sigh.

"Because, Frankie, you're the least terrifying of the two of us. You just look like a mangy mutt." She teased and her brother only glowered. This time it was his turn to sigh as he scrunched up his shirt and flung it off at his sister. Jane caught it with ease and folded it in her hands.

"Sorry, Maura." before I could even ask why he was apologizing, Frankie's pants joined his shirt. I avoided looking anywhere else but at the spot over his head. It not that the human form disgusted me or made me awkward, I respected the other man's privacy.

Suddenly, where the brown haired man had once stood on two feet now stood a wolf on four paws. It had happened so fast that my brain hardly had time to register the shift. The air around him began to buzz and hum as his molecules changed and his bones, muscles, sinew, and organs shifted into this new form. Instinctively, I backed away and placed myself slightly behind Jane. The wolf whined and lowered himself to the ground, ears flattening to his head.

"He won't hurt you. Underneath all that fur, he's still Frankie. He knows who we are and he's in full control of himself." she said. I felt a little less hesitant and took a few steps forward. The beast rose from his position laying on the ground to sitting up. His ears perked up and his tail began thumping on the ground. In that moment, he reminded me so much of a dog that I couldn't help but giggle. Reaching a hand out, I let the canine sniff my hand.

"May I?" when I got a nudge of the nose as confirmation, I let my fingers run through the fine fur on his head and gently examined his ears. While seated, his head came to rest level with my sternum which is larger than any wolf I had seen in my life.

I should probably stop being shocked at this point given everything I've seen and been told. I scratched at his scuff before turning so I was half facing Jane and half facing the beast before me.

"What kind of wolf is he? I don't think I've seen one like him." I asked and the other woman nodded in her brother's direction. He stood and taking his clothing from Jane in his jaws, trotted his way into the tree line where moments later he re-emerged as a man.

"Dire Wolf. There aren't many of us left but we're bigger than timber wolves." he said and puffed his chest out pride. Jane snorted and playfully shoved him aside.

"Dire wolves? I thought they were extinct? Were all of them shifters or do shifters mimic after different animals?" I asked and Jane simply shrugged her shoulders.

"No one knows and if anyone did, they're long gone by now." she admitted and I could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Some of the older legends say that certain tribes were gifted an animal that would protect them or provide for them. Some say that we grew envious of the animal and willed ourselves into their form. Like Jane said, if there was anyone who knew the truth, they're long gone." Frankie said and his sister nodded.

"What's your animal?" I asked Jane and she only smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." she teased and it was my turn to cross my arms.

"Fine. What other animal shifters are there?" I asked instead. The siblings looked at each other and then Frankie threw and arm over my shoulders, leading me a little ways toward Jane's home before he guided us to a little outcropping of rocks that served well as benches.

"Originally, there were tribes for each animal. Eventually, they were forced to leave their tribes in search of mates which caused blood lines to mix. Over time, the lines got so mixed that it was common to find a kangaroo in the tundra or a penguin in the desert." Frankie began and paused, letting me absorb what he had said so far.

"How does that work? Becoming a shifter, I mean." I asked and the time Jane spoke up.

"Having the gene for a shifter is like having the gene for brown hair or green eyes. The history of shifters in the family determines the chances of producing a child that will have the gene. If both parents and both grandparents are shifters, then the chances of the child being a shifter is pretty much guaranteed. If one of the four isn't a shifter, then the chances are about ¾. Two of the four is ½ and one of the four is ¼. Everyone carry the gene weather they can shift or not." She explained and it all and a sense. My mind made a Punnett square with the information and saved it for later use. The next question tumbled past my lips before I could stop it.

"Are they born as the animal they shift to or is it something that happens during puberty?" I asked and both siblings snorted.

"It would be pretty weird for a woman to give birth to a panda or a raptor. Nah, the shift is brought on during puberty between twelve and fourteen years of age. After the first shift happens, the kid is brought before the Council, the Chief, and Elder Healer where they are examined to see if they're healthy. After that, there's a ceremony to welcome them amongst the tribe before being sent to train with the warriors, hunters, scavengers, farmers, and the healers." Frankie picked up for his sister and explained. The ritual was similar to a Communion or Confirmation that Catholics took part.

"What about the non-shifting teens? What happens to them when they come of age?" I asked and Frankie took the lead again.

"They get their ceremony once they reach the age of eighteen. At that point, they had been studying with a guide about the basics of everything that was mentioned before but one they turn eighteen, the training becomes more difficult and harsh. It can be brutal at times but it saves lives so no one bothers complaining about it." he admitted and I could feel the awe rising up. All of these people had been forced to flee the homes they've lived in only to be brought together here where they flourished and thrived as a community.

The three of us talked for a while more until Angela came to find us for dinner. Back at her home, she served up the good she had prepared while giving a running commentary on the questions, answers, and conversations transpiring in her cozy dining room.

For some reason, I don't think I'll regret my decision to stay.

 **R &I**

 **Two chapters in one day? How scandalous!**

 **Anyways, here was a little insight into Maura's thoughts in this chapter. Next, we'll sneak into Jane's mind and see what's going on with her.**

 **There will be a time jump of about three or four months ahead so we can see what progress Maura has made with her training. Also, the girls will be forced into a situation that will test their bonds to each other but to themselves.**

 **As always, leave a comment about what you think or what you would like to see.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter is told from Jane's point of view and takes place about four months after the last chapter. If you've been reading my A/N's, you know what's coming up and I hope I don't disappoint. Also, there's gonna be a little (or maybe a lot, I haven't decided yet) drama in this chapter.**

 **As for the reviewer who said that chapter 3 was a bit rushed: I know it was but I really just wanted to get that one out who I could work on chapter 4. Hopefully no future chapters will be as rushed.**

 _ **Italics**_ **will be Jane's thoughts in correlation with her animal. They are one entity but Jane is still able to feel emotions, increased senses, and a deeper intuition from that alternate side of her.**

 **All mistakes are mine.**

Jane's p.o.v.

These past few months have been some of the most trying of my entire life. Most of the stress came in the form of my mother. Every time I see her she would ask a million questions about Maura and her life before the crash. There's no question that Maura and I had grown closer over the last few weeks but I wasn't going to force the woman to tell me anything she wasn't ready to share yet.

So far, Maura has been soaking up everything I tell her like a sponge and she's learning faster than anyone I've ever seen. Most mornings she's so eager to start our lessons and practically rushes to get through breakfast. It amazes me how much someone is willing and loves to learn and I know that once she's finally brought in as a member of our little village, Maura will have no problems thriving here.

For the first few weeks, Maura would spend every other day with me learning about the history, customs, and ceremonies while the rest of the time was spent with various other people learning about other things. She spent time learning about farming and raising livestock from Daniel and Marie. Then she would spend a while learning how to fish, forage, and scavenge with Frankie while Ma would help her learn how to craft various baskets, bowls, and little odds and ends before and after dinner. It's what came next that had me a little nervous.

Once she had mastered everything else, it would be time for me to teach her how to hunt and fight. It's not that I thought she wouldn't be any good at it, it's just that the thought of hurting her-even accidentally-brought up this emotion that I had no word for. That pesky emotion reared its head anytime I saw her, really. I had thought about telling Ma about it but I held back because if she got something in her head about it, there was no telling how far she could take it.

"Jane? You okay?" Maura's voice snapped me from my thoughts and I met her worried hazel eyes. Nodding, I gave her what I hoped to be a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to think of how to start the next stage of your training." I admitted. She smiled and I felt something inside do a funny little dance.

"Oh? And what would that be? Mountain climbing? Swinging from trees? Wrestling wild pigs?" she asked and although she was only kidding-something else she had gotten better at-she wasn't far off on the last one.

"Close. Since you're doing so well with everything else, it's time for you to learn how to hunt, fight, and defend yourself." Immediately her face filled with trepidation and hesitancy. I scooted my chair closer to hers and leaned forward.

"Hey, don't worry. You're going to be amazing. You've picked up everything else like you've been doing them for forever so I doubt you'll be bad with these." My soothing didn't work as well I had hoped because the worry was still etched into her beautiful face-

Woah. Where the hell did that come from?

"It's not that I don't have confidence in myself it's just that I don't like the idea of taking another life. I've always been taught that life was sacred and as a doctor, I've dedicated myself to upholding that rule and doing all that I can to better it." She rambled on and I took one of her hands on both of mine. Pushing aside the feeling of that oddly familiar bolt of electricity that appeared, I continued on.

"I get that you don't like the idea of fighting but, Maura, it's for your own safety. You'll learn to defend yourself properly but you'll also have to learn to fight back. And hunting isn't that bad. We only take what we need and nothing more. I know you can do this, Maur. I've got faith in you." I said and the woman in front of me let out a steady inhale before gifting me a reluctant smile. She nodded and squeezed my hands.

"Okay. I'll learn only because you have made some very valid points."

 **R &I**

A few days after that conversation, I began sparring with Maura. She was hesitant and unsure at first but after seeing how Frankie and I battled, she quickly began to get the hang of it.

"No, Maura. When you go in for the full flip, you gotta put all of your weight into it. Plant your feet firmly into the ground...like this...and then you reach up...to the shoulder...and...boom! Flipped over." The blonde watched closely as I flipped Frankie over my shoulder for the upteenth time that day. He laid there for a few moments and wheezed as he caught his breath. I reached out a hand and helped pull him up to his feet.

"Why is it that I'm the only one getting thrown to the ground? Why can't I throw you?" He asked as he dusted himself off while making sure to throw me one of his dirtiest glares. I simply gave him a smirk and motioned for Maura to take her place.

"Alright, now you're gonna do the same thing and since you're smaller than I am, you've got more of a purchase to the ground." I said as I circled and came to stand behind her. She turned and grinned.

"That may be the case but there's more of you to flip. The bigger they are, the harder they fall." she teased and behind us, Frankie burst out laughing. I ignored him and wound my left arm across Maura's shoulders while I used my right hand to lock her in place. Leaning in closer, I brought my head down next to hers.

"Whenever you're ready, flip me." No sooner had the words left my mouth, I found myself laying on ground and the air knocked from my lungs. It took me a few seconds to recover but eventually I rolled to my side and pushed myself up.

"That...that was...perfect Maura. Next time give me a little warning….maybe a pinch on the arm or something." Between my wheezing, I could hear and see Frankie rolling on the ground In laughter. A few others had also joined in and had been watching my lesson. Suddenly, a little blur dashed out from behind one of the spectators and nearly knocked me to the ground.

"Jane! I wanna flip! Can you flip me?" The demands belonged to Alex, a little boy about five years old. His father is one of the warriors in my group. I hauled him up onto my hip and playfully bounced him around.

"Sorry buddy but you're still too little." I said and he immediately pouted and crossed his arms.

"Please, Jay? I won't tell daddy, I promise!" It was adorable to see him trying to convince me but I was more worried about him getting hurt than dealing with his father's wrath. I chuckled and hugged him before moving him around to my front. He wrapped his little legs around my waist and immediately began fiddling with a lock of my hair.

"How 'bout I make you a deal? When you're old enough, I'll be your guide and I'll train you like I'm helping train Miss. Maura now. How does that sound?" I asked and his little face lit up with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen.

"Promise?" He asked and held out his hand. Interlocking our pinkie fingers, I sealed the promise.

"Alright munchkin. Why don't you go see if Frankie will wrestle with you? I'm sure you can kick his butt." I set Alex down and he took of at a clip towards my brother and tackled him much like he had with me.

Suddenly, I found myself flat on the ground once more; the air being forced from my lungs.

"Maura...what the...hell?" She just giggled and held out her hand.

"Someone told me not too long ago that you should let yourself become distracted. Maybe you should take her advice." Maura gave me a smirk that had my beast rumbling. There was definitely something special about this woman.

 **R &I**

About two weeks after I had begun teaching Maura how to fight and defend herself, I began planning our first excursion into the thick jungle. But first, I had to talk to her about it and perhaps start getting her used to using a bow.

For now, I was content to just sit at the small table in my home as I whittled away on a block of wood.

"Janie? You home?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes as my mother helped herself and opened the door.

"Yes, Ma, I'm home. What do you want?" I asked, not even bothering to stop what I was doing. She huffed and sat down across from me.

"That's no way to speak to your mother Jane, but we'll deal with that later. I wanted to ask you how Maura was doing. Everyone else she's been working with has said she's doing phenomenal and that she's a natural. The only one I haven't heard from is you. So how is our favorite girl doing?" Ignoring the last part, I continued whittling down on the block.

"She's doing good. She's learning faster than anyone I've ever trained. I think she can benefit from a few more fighting lessons but she's got enough to be able to hold her own. Just waiting for her to get back so we can go over what she needs to know for hunting." Ma nodded and stared intently at me for longer than I was comfortable with. Since Maura had decided to stay, she has been living with me-which is something my mother had taken to thinking of far to deeply. I had moved the table in the little kitchen against one wall and moved my bed against the wall across from it. Obviously, I didn't move it until I made sure that Maura had a bed of her own. So she used mine and I slept on a mat until Abraham was able to craft a new bed.

Living with her 24/7 had been rather...easy. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, I absolutely detested having to share my living space with someone other than myself. The only exception was with T.J. and any of the children who had parents that were on patrol or out on a trade. Other than that, I didn't really tolerate anyone else encroaching in on my space. But now, I didn't mind that her belongings began to find their way entwined with mine.

Her leather bag hung next to mine by the door

Her clothing in the top two drawers of the single dresser.

Some little odds and ends she had received from a few kids and the people she trained with sat woven between and around the few I had upon the shelves.

And honestly, there was some part of me that found an extreme satisfaction in the fact that she was here. That same part loathed the day where she would become an official member and be given her own residence.

"You're not listening to anything I'm saying, are you?" Brought out of my reverie, I shot Ma an apologetic shrug and she just sighed. The kind sigh a parent gives to their children when they've had enough and they don't see the point anymore.

"Never mind. I can clearly see that you're distracted Janie, but I hope you've got yourself sorted before Tommy and T.J. arrive next week."

She grumbled as she opened the door to my home.

"Good luck with Maura, honey. I'll see you later for dinner." and with that, she was gone. I had been whittling for barely ten minutes when the door opened and the object of my previous musings came into view. She had spent most of the morning with the healers and then the afternoon with Daniel and Marie.

"Hello, Jane. How has your day been?" no matter what had happened that day, she was always polite. I couldn't help the small smile and motioned for her to sit in the chair my Ma had previously been sitting in.

"Quiet. Made a few more quivers worth of arrows, sharpened my knife, went fishing with Frankie, and now I'm trying to figure out what this hunk of wood will be. How was your day?" I asked as I chanced a quick glance up at her. Captivating eyes were transfixed directly at me. Slightly uncomfortable, I coughed and she blushed.

"It was well. Marie showed me how to tell which chickens would be good for laying eggs and which ones would be best suited for eating. Very informative but also a little boring." she admitted and I mocked a dramatic gasp at her.

"Maura Isles, bored of learning? How scandalous!" her foot made contact with my shin and the wooden block and the knife clattered to the table.

"Anyways...I wanted to talk to you about the lesson that comes next." I began and she crossed her arms on the table.

"Hunting?"

"Yeah. I thought that since you're doing so well with everything else, we'd start hunting. It's not glamorous by any means but it does bring food to the table and requires a lot of patience." I was curious to see how Maura would handle hunting.

"Well, people have been killing animals for food for thousands of years; I don't see why I wouldn't take to it." she said and leaned back in her chair.

I guess it was settled then. I would be taking Maura Isles out into the jungle to hunt.

"Alrighty then. Let me get a bag packed, let David know that we'll be out, and we'll be on our way." She nodded and I stood. Grabbing my bag from its peg, I began filling it with everything the two of us would need.

 **R &I**

I caught her scent in the breeze before I saw her; Honeysuckle and something uniquely her. It was quickly becoming my favorite scent. Shaking my head, I threw in the last few essentials into the bag and stood.

"Ready?" I asked as I held out one of my knives and it's sheath.

"How did you know it was me? I didn't say anything and there's no way you saw me." she asked and I chuckled.

"The wind was blowing in my direction and I picked up on your scent." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. She looked like she didn't believe me took the proffered weapon and slipped it into the waistband of her pants. I slung the pack over my shoulders and began heading to the boundary away from Sanctuary.

"Shifters have heightened senses because of their animal. Even though I technically have two bodies, all my insides are same. She lends me super senses and I lend her my humanity." I said and Maura nodded. We walked for a few more miles in relative silence.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You don't have to ask, ya'know."

"I know but it's something of a delicate nature." My interest officially piqued, I stopped and turned to look at her.

"Maura, you never have to ask me if you can ask a question. And if for some reason I don't like the question or I don't want to answer, I'll let you know, okay?" She nodded and fiddled with a small twig in her hands. Figuring she was a little shy or embarrassed, I began walking again.

"How does bonding work?" She asked and that definitely made my mind go blank.

"You mean imprinting?" She nodded and kept her gaze focused on the path. I took a moment to figure out what I was gonna tell her.

"It's when someone finds their destined. Kind of like soul mates, I guess. Not everyone finds theirs but when someone from the village does, it's one of the most celebrated things; right next to the birth of a baby." She was quiet for a few moments.

"How would one know when they've found their destined?" she asked and for the briefest of moments, I felt my heart stop. Had someone imprinted on her?

"Well, if you had, you'd definitely know. I've never experienced it but the ones who have had described it as something so strong that they had trouble explaining it. When Daniel imprinted on Marie, he said that it felt like the entire universe had shifted; that she became his entire life and Marie had said pretty much the same thing. It's kind of magical, I guess. You get to spend the rest of your life with the one person who shares the other half of your soul."

We were both silent after that, walking side by side. That was until a crunch echoed through the trees.

 _Something isn't right._

My senses immediately grew sharper and my hair stood on end. I could feel my skin vibrating with the need to change and bones began aching.

 _Someone's watching us._

Whoever was there wasn't even bothering to try and be quiet. Sensing that something was definitely wrong Maura stepped closer to me, her hand grazing mine. I took it and pulled her behind me, placing myself between her and the threat.

This time, when that bolt zapped between us, it was far stronger than it had been before. It was so intense that it made Maura squeak in surprise.

The need to shift grew to levels that were borderline painful. I didn't dare take my eyes away from the moving ferns. Suddenly, everything went still. The bushes stopped trembling, birds stopped singing, and bugs stopped humming. The air suddenly became charged and I barely had time to shove Maura away and shift as a huge mass flung itself from the trees.

For what seemed like a lifetime I fought against this hulking mass of fur, teeth, and claws. I howled as the other beast clawed at my flank and I retaliated by biting down on his scruff. It pinned me to my back and dug its claws deeper into my gut so I but down harder on its throat.

 _Give up. I've got your throat. I'll end you right now._

It just dug its claws deeper and I winced. Finally having had enough, I flipped it to the side and bit down harder still. There was nothing reflected in those dead blue eyes. In response, he just bared his neck and his chest rumbled. I let go and backed off, still wary of the traitor. He laid still before rolling over and launching himself at me again. Only this time, he didn't get to pin me because another hulking beast had him pinned to the ground, snarling so loud that it sounded painful.

Finally realizing that he was outnumbered, he took off into the trees but not before shooting off one final roar. Beyond exhausted and in pain, I began the walk back home with Frankie supporting my side. It wasn't until we came upon my bag that I realized that someone was missing. My heart stopped before going into overdrive.

 _Maura_

Not even bothering to pick up the bag, I took off in the direction of Sanctuary faster than ever, claws digging into the dirt to propel me forward just a little bit farther and a little bit faster.

I burst through the tree line and was immediately swarmed by a few other warriors and a healer. My mother wasn't far behind.

"Jane! Oh thank God you're okay! I was so worried about you! Maura came running back and could barely get a word out. Your brother took off after you when Maura told him where you two had been attacked. Poor thing was a wreck." All at once my body felt all the stress and worry ooze away and the soreness and pain took its place.

 _She's okay. We can rest now._

As tempting as it was to just lying down right here and not getting up until I was healed, I wanted to see that Maura was okay with my own eyes. Everyone was still fussing over me but Frankie shooed them away and promised that he would get me home. He sent a few warriors in the direction we had just come from and then gently yanked on my tail.

"C'mon. I'll take you home." Frankie walked with me and I didn't even get the chance to go inside my home when my entire world tunneled and spun off its axis. There was no telling which way was up or down or left or right. Absolutely nothing made any sense and now, I'm not sure I want it to.

Maura Isles had just become the center of my universe.

 **So, there you have it. Rizzles has been established.**

 **I feel like this chapter was just a little bit rushed but I think that I had enough interaction to make up for it. I find that I do better with "in the moment" writing rather than having to write about everything at once.**

 **As always, feel free to let me know what you think and if there's anything you guys want to see.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Any A/N's will be at the end.**

 **All mistakes are mine.**

 **R &I**

Maura's p.o.v.

There was something wrong. So very wrong.

What had been a good day now turned into something dark and dangerous.

Jane was perfectly still. Her muscles and bones locked into place and the only movement came from her head as her ears and eyes tracked the movement of whatever was currently stalking us. Everything went still and the noises in the jungle silenced. I could feel the electricity in the air and moved closer to Jane.

"Jane?" The moment I stepped into her personal space, I could see why the air was so charged. Her skin was rippling and the hair on the back of her neck and her arms were up on end. There was definitely something going on and I felt like whatever it was wasn't going to be pretty. The air suddenly became supercharged and I found myself begin flung back a few good feet.

I scrambled up and immediately began looking for where Jane could have gone. Instead of finding her in one piece, all I found was her backpack and the shredded remains of the clothing she had just been wearing. Panic began to seep into my chest and fear wasn't far behind. I tried calling out for the tall brunette who I had come to cherish dearly but all that snaked out was a broken whine.

Suddenly two huge blurs flew across the path and crashed against a tree not even ten feet from where I stood. I knew Jane was a shifter but I've yet to see her alternate form so telling friend from foe was impossible.

The only thing I could think of was to run back to Sanctuary to get help.

So I did.

I ran faster than I had ever run before and prayed to any God that would listen that Jane would make it back okay.

 **R &I**

The moment I broke through the boundary at Sanctuary, I began yelling for Frankie.

"Frankie! Frankie! Jane needs help!" Almost immediately he materialized and grabbed me by my shoulders. His brown eyes were an exact replica of his sisters' and I felt the tears welling as I realized that I could potentially never see them again.

"Maura? Maura?! What's wrong? Where's Jane?"

"We-we-we were walking along the path and-and someone or something was stalking us. She went still and then suddenly she was g-gone! I think she shifted but I-I couldn't tell which one she was!" I could feel the hysteria creeping in and he just squeezed my arm before taking off in the direction I had just come from. I hadn't even seen her approach but I found myself wrapped in the strong embrace of the Rizzoli matriarch.

"Oh, sweetheart. Jane will be okay. She's the best fighter and she's knows what she's doing. Frankie will help her if she needs it. Let's go back to Janie's and I'll start a nice pot of tea." I heard what she was saying but it was doing very little to help. Angela walked with me back to Jane's home and sat me down on one of the chairs. She dropped a quick kiss to my head before busying herself with making tea.

I could tell that the older woman was equally just as worried but she's had more experience and time to deal with this kind of situation. Honestly, I was a little jealous of her. She's Jane's mother, she gets the right to be worried. But me? I'm just someone Jane has to train and once I become one of the people, she'll go on with her life. So what right did I have to feel this way?

Placing a steaming mug in front of me, Angela sat down and turned so her whole body was facing mine.

"You okay Maura? I know that this is a lot to take in all at once but Jane really will be okay. She'll come back scratched and bruised but she'll come back whole and she'll still be Jane. You can relax, honey. Here," Angela slid the mug of tea closer to me, "drink some tea. It'll help with the tension." Sipping at her own mug of tea, we were both silent until the racing thoughts in my head grew to be too much.

"I can't stop worrying. I feel so scared and so tense that I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin. Part of me feels like I could break if Jane doesn't come back and I don't understand why. I'm usually very attuned to my emotions and how I feel but this time it feels like my brain is trying to make neural connections that are going too fast to be recognized. Yet at the same time, I'm feeling everything so much stronger and all at once." I stopped to try to collect the remaining thoughts that were flying every which way.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I'll be okay once I see that Jane is okay." Looking up to the older woman, I could see a flurry of emotions swim in her eyes and a knowing smile began to spread across her face. She set her mug down and took my hands in hers.

"Did Janie ever tell you about her father and I?" Angela asked and I shook my head. Jane was always very guarded when it came to personal matters. Her family fit into the category.

"I was eighteen when I met Frank. He was so charming and sweet and I fell so in love with him. We dated for a while before he asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes and as a wedding gift, he and his brother spent almost three months building our home. A few years after we married, I got pregnant with Jane and even before she was born, I knew she was gonna be my little fighter; she would kick like crazy at all hours of the day and sometimes it would get so bad that I wouldn't be able to sleep!" Angela smiled at the memory and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"The day she was born was one of the best days of my life. I remember going into labor and being so excited that I made myself sick. She was so eager to meet the outside world that I hadn't even been in labor for three hours before she was screaming her way into the world. God, she was such a good baby she hardly ever cried. It wasn't until she grew up and I had her brothers did she begin to become more rambunctious and hard headed. Then about, oh, ten...twelve years ago Frank imprinted on a woman from another village someone North. It broke Jane's heart; she was such a daddy's girl. Don't get me wrong, it hurt a lot and it still does but I don't resent him. We can't help who we fall in love with or in this case, imprint on." She paused again and I took this time to process everything she had just said.

I can understand why Jane's guarded and doesn't let many people in. Her father leaving devastated her and in a way, I sympathised. My parents were always flying off to all ends of the world while I stayed home with the nanny and wondered what it would be like to have parents that loved me. I know that they loved me in their own way but it still hurt. Then I caught my father cheating on my mother with my best friend's mother of all people.

"A couple months after Frank had left, Jane had vowed to never fall in love in with someone. She said that it wasn't worth the time and the pain if they imprinted with someone else. She also didn't want to be the one to break hearts if she imprinted on someone else. I think one day, she'll find the person who's meant for her-" a series of hollers and loud commotion interrupted her mid sentence. I felt my stomach sink to the ground. Had Jane not made it back?

Angela flew out of her chair and out the door faster than possible for a non-shifter. I didn't dare move. I could hear a few people talking and Frankie's voice grew louder and louder as he came closer to the house.

Finally, I couldn't take not knowing and I got up. The moment I stood in the doorway and connected with bright gold eyes, my universe shattered into infinitesimal pieces and then rebuilt itself in the form of the beast in front of me.

"Oh shit…" I didn't even bother scolding Frankie. I was too focused on trying to figure out this new universe I now found myself living in.

Jane took a hesitant step forward and her ears flattened against her head. Her large paws flattened against the ground and I couldn't help but notice that they were probably twice the size of my own hands. I wanted so badly to reach out and run my fingers through the midnight black fur on her head and trace over the spots that were barely visible. Taking a half step forward, she lowered herself until she was sitting and even then she was almost as tall as I was.

It was then that I could see all the cuts on her body.

"Oh, Jane...what happened to you?" she let out a pitiful whine and her tail flicked in distress. I held out my hand.

"May I?" I asked for permission before touching, unsure how this version of Jane would react. To my relief, she sniffed at my hand before touching her snout fully to my palm. Her fur was smoother and softer than anything I had felt before. I brought up my other hand and began scratching between and behind her ears, smiling when the large car began to purr. She suddenly collapsed to the ground and I followed suit. Leaning back against the front of the house, I pulled Jane's large head into my lap and her large paws wrapped around my left thigh right above my knee.

Angela appeared with a large bowl of water and a few cloths. Handing me one, she began cleaning the wounds from her daughter's body. I dipped my cloth in the bowl and set to work.

 **R &I**

For all I knew, days could have passed but I wouldn't have noticed because I was far too busy cataloguing each and every little detail about this version of Jane. Her fur was so dark that when the sunlight caught it in just the right way, it gave off a dark blueish purple hue and glimmered like obsidian. Her spots were barely visible but she had a snowy white spot just behind her left ear and a pink freckle on the bottom of her paw. Her whiskers were several inches in length and the slightest touch of them had her lip twitching and her ear flicking.

Her head was massive and covered my entire lap. She gave off so much body heat that I began growing thankful when the sun dipped below the horizon. Angela had stayed with me until Jane's visible injuries had been cleaned and then excused herself back into the house to make dinner. Frankie stayed close by and at moments, I could feel him staring at me but I paid no mind to it.

"She's going to wake up soon." I nodded, letting him know that I heard what he said then he came and squatted next to me.

"Jane gets a little grouchy and...difficult...after she heals so until we know how she'll react, it's best that you get up and give her a little room." Frankie said but I didn't want to move. Almost as if knowing we were talking about her, Jane's head moved and her tail began twitching in annoyance. Her paws flexed and she retracted her claws and then kneaded against my leg a few times before going completely still.

"C'mon Maura, you gotta get up. I promise we won't go far." This time, he began gently pulling me from underneath the cat and I laid her head down upon the ground. He lead me farther away before he moved closer to the cat. We watched as she stretched and rolled over onto her other side. Without warning, Frankie gave a solid slap to Jane's hindquarters and she roared and leapt up, hissing furiously at her brother.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to do that to your sister? If she decides to take a chunk out of you next time, I'll let her!" Angela's voice rung out from the house and Jane seemed to calm a little. She stretched again and made to turn into the house when she noticed me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked and in response, she loped over and dug her head into my abdomen. I rubbed her ear in between my fingers and she only pushed harder.

"I think Janie wants you to go into the house." Frankie said as he went in himself. Jane grumbled and pushed me again. Taking the hint, I entered the home I had been sharing with Jane and took a seat on the edge of my cot. Jane's wet nose against my leg and then my shoulder made chuckle.

"I'm fine Jane. You don't have to worry." She snuffled against my cheek before disappearing behind the partition where moments later she came back as the woman I knew.

"I'm so sorry about what happened, Maura. Had I known that someone was following us, I would have brought you back here immediately. Are you sure you're okay? We can go see Susie if your arm is bothering you." Jane had taken a seat on one of the chairs across from me. She was a little dirty and her hair was wild. I gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, Jane, really. My arm aches but it's nothing I can't handle. And to be honest, it should be me taking you to go see Susie. You're the one who was just in a fight." I had learned that the shifter form heals differently than the human form. While a cut might close in a few days and completely heal in two or three weeks, a shifter can heal any wound within a matter of seconds or hours depending on how severe was. Jane's alternate form had healed while she slept but the woman before me was painted with a few dark bruises and a thin layer of dirt.

"If not Janie, the least you can do is go take a bath. I can smell you all the way over here." Angela said while throwing her daughter a towel. The woman glared at her mother before taking the hint and taking her leave.

I know that I imprinted on Jane...or was it Jane imprinted on me? Well, either way our lives have become entwined in such a way that I would be bonded to Jane and Jane to me for eternity.

And frankly, I was okay with that and I found it a little comforting.

My entire life, I looked out for myself and relied on no one. I carried all my burdens-and at times, the burdens of others-alone. I never confided in my parent's; partly because I felt that any interaction with them was a bit awkward and forced while the other part of it was because they were never home. Whenever I had a question, I would ask the nanny. When I got hurt or scared, I went to the nanny. When I was having troubles in school and got bullied, I talked to the nanny. It wasn't until I grew older that I began to think that maybe perhaps I was the problem; that maybe I was the reason why mother and father were never home. So, after that I stopped bothering everyone. I no longer asked questions. I sought comfort in myself or learned the best ways to deal with scraped knees or bruised shoulders. I distanced myself from the teachers and the rest of my classmates because I was fearful of driving them away too. After a while, everyone left me alone.

Even as I grew out of childhood and into adolescence then adulthood, I still kept to myself and interfered as little as possible. Eventually, I had managed to isolate myself from everyone around me and retreated further into myself. I didn't see the point in continuing on with my work any longer and when I received an email from an organization that brought aid to areas that had no medical supplies or qualified doctors, I accepted. I packed up my life, put it in storage, sold my home and brought the bare minimum with me to start this new life where I hoped to start anew.

Never in a million years would I have thought that it would have turned out much better than I could have ever hoped for. I found a group of people who were so willing to accept me as their own that some days, it seems like this has been some incredible dream. Sometimes it feels like that I'm merely sleeping on the plane and the crash never happened or that I didn't make it out alive and this is some sort of afterlife.

Either way, I don't want to wake up.

I want to experience this new life as a member of Sanctuary in a path I carved out on my own. I want to make friends with the people here and learn everything they have to offer. I want to be able to patch up skinned knees and bring new life into this world. I want to ease the suffering of those who cared for me in their last moments upon this world. I want everything and nothing all at the same time. I want everything I never had growing up but I want to just feel like I belong somewhere.

But now, I want nothing more than to do it with Jane at my side.

 **R &I**

 **So I feel like I got kind of sloppy and rushed in the middle there for a little bit…**

 **Some of the things that Maura thought and felt at the end there was based upon some of the things I've thought and felt and I find that putting a piece of yourself into your writing can make it feel more real. For me, writing is my therapy. This is in no way a call for sympathy but if there's any of you who feel the same way I do, have felt the same way, or know someone who does, just know that I understand.**

 **As for some of the reviews and PM's asking about how Maura would react to seeing Jane in her alternate form: How did I do? Just remember that there will be plenty of other times where Maura will be in the presence of Shifter Jane, not only Human Jane.**

 **A few others have asked some really good questions and I promise that I will get to them all eventually, some later rather than sooner ;)**

 **As usual, let me know what you think, what you would like to see, or if you have any ideas. Thank you to all you lovely readers for reading, following, favoriting, and/or reviewing.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	7. Chapter 7

**All mistakes are mine.**

 **R &I**

I had no clue how everything would go down but I know I'm willing to stop anyone who dared to get on my bad side. The imprint might only be a few hours old but I know for a fact that I would gladly die for this woman. Hell, I would probably kill for her too.

There was so much Maura and I had to talk about but first, we had to go talk to Cavanaugh. I helped Ma clean up from dinner before we all headed for the Chiefs home.

"What's going to happen, Jane?" Usually so confident, Maura's uncertainty was a little heart breaking. Reaching out, I squeezed her hand and gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Honestly, I'm not sure but I do know that everything is going to be okay. As long as I'm here, no one will dare to mess with you. That's a promise I'll always have and one I'll always keep." she squeezed my hand back and then dropped it as we came to our destination. I knocked on the door and a moment later Cavanaugh's gruff face appeared. He granted us entry and closed the door.

"Rizzoli, did they find out who it was?" He asked and while I wished that we had that answer, I shook my head.

"No. I've been out for the last few hours but from what Frankie has told me, there are still a few warriors out there looking." he nodded but shot me that look; the same look he gave me the last time this happened. "There's no way of knowing that it is him. We ran him out years ago. Why would he be back now?" Ma and Frankie had finally caught on and they let out a horrified gasp and a deep growl, respectively. Add yet another thing to the list of things I have to explain to Maura.

"We can't be too sure, Jane. Just try to be careful, alright?." he sighed and motioned to the long table, encouraging us to sit. "Now what is it that's got you here so late in the evening?" I looked to Ma then to Maura.

"I imprinted on Maura." He was quiet for a while...a long while.

"She's not an official part of Sanctuary yet so there can be no ceremony performed." He pointed out and it was my turn to nod.

"We know. I've also decided that I'll be staying with my Ma and Maura can have my place until she's been tested." Maura began to protest but I just squeezed her hand again and continued on. "It's not that I'm worried about _my_ control...I'm more worried about my cat's control. I don't want to lose my cool and end up hurting her so I think the distance will be okay." Maura squeezed my hand and Cavanaugh nodded. He looked to my mother and they seemed to be having this silent conversation just between the two of them for what seemed like forever before he turned his attention back to my mate and I.

"Here's how it's gonna go down: Frankie - and anyone else who needs to - will help Maura finish up any important last minute training. Come the start of the new week, she'll be sent out into The Middle to be tested for the same four days as everyone else is." Sensing my incoming outburst, he continued on in a voice much louder than before. "While she's gone, Rizzoli, you and three others will be returning the medication back to it's destination. The elders have agreed that we've waited a decent amount of time for any suspicions to have died down so it's time that the supplies be delivered. Do you understand?" Although he asked a question, the way he said it left no room for argument or protest.

The thought of Maura being sent out to the Middle so early on was enough to make my cat angry but the knowledge that I was going to be hours and hours away while she was literally fighting for her life was making her practically foam at the mouth in anger. This time, I couldn't restrain my outrage.

"Are you serious!? She hasn't even gotten through half of what she needs to know! And if you think that I'm going to leave while she's out there, you better rethink that because you'll have to chain me down before I leave." I could feel my skin becoming warm and Cavanaugh's blue eyes turned to ice.

"It wasn't a request. You're going even if I have to chain you myself. There's nothing you can do to make this easier on her and I wish that I was able to give her the same courtesy as everyone else who has to be tested. But, the fact remains that if you want to live here with her as a bonded pair, she will be tested and you will bring the supplies back. Otherwise you can go right now and get your things and leave. Your choice." Before I could say anything, Maura spoke for us.

"I'll go...and so will Jane. I know it's not ideal and I understand why you're upset Jane, but I can't be here without you. I'll be fine. You've been teaching me so much these last few months and I want to be able to prove that I belong here in Sanctuary." Her hazel eyes were bright and wide. I couldn't find a trace of fear anywhere in their hypnotizing depths.

Through some unspoken thing, I felt myself agreeing. Although for the record, I did it under extreme duress. Cavanaugh slammed his hands down on the table and stood.

"Then it's settled. In the morning, Jane will seek out who she wants to take with her and Frankie will continue on with Maura's training." Taking it as a dismissal, we all stood and began filing out when he called me back. I nodded for Maura to continue on and once she had caught up to my mother and brother, did I turn back to the Chief.

"I know you're pissed and I can take it but I promise that I'm not sending her in alone. Just like with everyone else, someone's gonna go in and make sure nothing bad happens. They won't be seen but they'll be there. Nothing's going to happen to her. You have my word." With that, I left and prepared myself for the next six days.

 **R &I**

"Are you okay, Jane? You've been more quiet than usual." I heard her approach from behind. Shortly after returning home from Cavanaugh's, I had retreated up the side of the cave to a spot I had gone to for years. The woman who had suddenly become my entire life sat down next to me.

We were so close that I could feel the heat radiating off of her body.

"It's just...I just found you, Maura. I just found you and I haven't gotten to know the you that's in there from before the crash. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you and now you're being sent out almost four months early. I have every confidence in you and your abilities but it's what's out there that I don't trust. What happened this morning shook me to the core and when I realized that you weren't in the jungle with me, I felt like my heart had been shredded and the full imprint hadn't even happened yet. Even then on some level I knew that you were meant to be mine." The only sound that filled the silence came from the bugs as they woke for the night and the few people who were still milling about. The sun had sunk completely below the horizon and the moon now hung high overhead. Thousands of stars and a few hundred galaxies twinkled brightly from their place in the vastness of space.

"You're not going to lose me, Jane. I'm going to work hard to make sure I pass the test because now I have someone worth coming back to." She paused and tilted her head upwards, probably naming all the constellations and all the stars within them.

"Before all this, I had nothing to look forward to. My parents were incredibly distant; I was lucky to see them at Christmas on a good year. I had trouble with social interactions and cues so making friends was always a challenge. I loved my job, don't get me wrong, but after a while it just didn't give me the same satisfaction as it had before, so when the opportunity to deliver aid and supplies to little villages presented itself, I dropped my whole life and ran for it. Honestly, I'm glad that I did because then I wouldn't have met you." Maura wound and arm through mine and held on tight. I looked at her and took in the way the gentle wind blew wisps of hair across her face and how her eyes held the entire galaxy in their bright depths.

We sat in silence for awhile, watching as the stars twinkled and the sun played behind the gauzy clouds. One by one, the lights in the homes began to go out. When the patrol shift changed and the night watchers came out, I stood and pulled Maura up with me. "C'mon, I'll walk you back. You, madam, have a very busy day ahead of you and you need all the rest you can get." Somewhere along the way she had linked out hands and as we got closer to her temporary home, I felt myself dreading having to let go.

"Well, here we are." Maura's voice was soft and I could hear the reluctance underneath. Not knowing what to say, I pulled her in for a hug instead. I needed to feel her in my arms at least once before I left. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around my middle and it was without a doubt the best hug I had ever gotten. Normally, I hated hugs but if they're coming from Maura, I think I can learn to like them. I pulled back to look her.

"Go get some sleep, doc. I'll come find you before I leave, okay?"

"Okay...goodnight, Jane."

"Night, Maura." Sparing one last glance back, she closed the door and effectively left me alone. God, I couldn't wait for her to get back so we could finally start moving forward. It would take awhile for either us to get _that comfortable_ with each other but I was just happy to get to sit next to her instead of across from her. Now I get to hold her hand whenever I wanted and it was me that she looked forward to seeing.

Man, I sound so much like a lovestruck teenager. Shaking my head at the thoughts racing through my mind, I made my way back to my mother's house.

Maura wasn't the only one who had a busy day tomorrow.

 **R &I**

Too soon to my liking, I was gathering with the people I had asked to accompany me for the trip to the outpost. The only requirement that I had was that at least one of them had to be able to help me pull the crates for the three day journey.

Jackson, Milo, and Xavier were huddled together in front of the healer's hut where the important supplies had been stored. Milo and Xavier were identical twins who both shifted into the same form. Having them come along would be very helpful.

"Thank you for coming with me, guys. I'm sure there are other things you would rather be doing than this." I greeted.

"Eh, don't worry about it too much, Cat. I'd much rather be doing this than spending another day fishing." Jackson said. He was one of the kids Tommy used to hang out with before everything happened with Pop. The other guys began giving him a hard time as I entered the cabin and was greeted by Susie.

"Jane! I wasn't expecting you to leave for another fifteen minutes! I can go and grab the supplies if you're ready to go?" She made to go do as offered but I held my hand out to stop her.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I'll send the guys in. I'm actually here to talk to you about Maura and her training." I stood firm and the smaller woman just nodded. She set aside the poultices she was working on.

"What about her? She's been working with one of the Elder Healers and myself since she got here. She's been doing an amazing job so far. What concerns do you have?"

"I just wanted to ask if you would be willing to show her a few of the advanced mixes and recipes. I know some of them take time but she catches on fast." Susie seemed to think it over for a second and I was afraid that she was going to decline when she agreed. I smiled and thanked her before leaving and sending the guys in to begin gathering the crates of supplies. They brought them out and I helped them begin to organize and situate them on the sleds for easier transport.

It didn't take that long to get everything ready so I let them have the remaining few minutes to do what they wanted before we set out. Delving into that new place in the center of my being, I let myself be towed towards Ma's house. Outside, Frankie was showing Maura the differences between crafting certain bows and arrows and which purposes they were best suited for. Sensing my presence, Maura looked up and the most beautiful yet saddest smile appeared on her face.

"Are you leaving, now?" I nodded and she stood, throwing her arms around my neck in the fiercest of hugs. I wrapped my own around her middle and held on tight, afraid of not being able to do so ever again. After a moment, we pulled back and she settled for wrapping her lithe arms around my waist and I cradled her delicate face in my hands.

"You are going to be amazing. Just remember what we've all taught you and you'll be fine. I believe in you a hundred billion percent and when I get back, we'll celebrate. Okay?" She nodded and hugged me tight before letting go. Behind us, Milo hollered and waved, signaling that he and others were ready to go. Looking at Maura one more time, I scanned her face and committed everything to memory. I dropped a soft kiss to her forehead before turning and walking away.

I met the guys at the edge of the clearing and did a quick run over for the plan that day. After we all agreed at the stopping point, the twins shifted and instead of two goofy teens standing before me, two monstrous draft horses reared and batted at the ground. Ready to go, I helped Jackson rig the sleds onto each twin and set off.

These next few days would be some of the most difficult in my life.

 **R &I**

 **Some of this was rushed but only because I want to get ready for the next chapter and the few after that so consider this just a filler chapter.**

 **Many of you have been asking me questions about certain things and while I have tried my best to answer you, I apologize if I haven't but I want to keep some things secret so I can change things around as need be. Also, I'm going to try my hardest to answer everything in the story as I've answered in person so bear with me for a little longer. Someone had asked me on another one of my stories if I would write smut and the answer is still no. I'll fan the flames but I won't walk into the fire.**

 **I noticed that not many people had read chapter 5 after posting chapter 6 so just make sure that your notifications are on but if you're having an issue with receiving my notifications, let know and I'll see what I can do.**

 **As always, let me know what you guys think and feel free to let me know what you think I can improve on or what you would like to see.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here we are with chapter 8! Thank all of you for taking the time to read this story and I'm still taken aback by how many of you guys actually enjoy reading it.**

 **I apologize for the long wait but I'm nearing the end of the semester and I've been busy with final papers, projects, and studying for finals but I've made this chapter rather long as an apology. I've written all four days of the test here and while some of the sections are a bit rushed, I didn't want to go into too much detail about what Maura is doing and why she is, so if you would like to know, you can ask me any questions you have and I'll try my best to answer them. I'll also be going into more depth on some of the things mentioned here later on so I didn't want to give too much away from this chapter. I hope you guys understand.**

 **I'm sure you want to jump right in and read so I'll just stop here and let you continue on.**

 **Per usual, all mistakes are mine and I own nothing (except the characters you don't recognize).**

 **R &I**

Maura's p.o.v

 _ **Day 1**_

Jane left on a Thursday and I began my test the following Monday. Frankie and so many others had tried their best to teach me what they could to make the next four days as bearable as possible.

The morning they came to get me, they gave no warning. I was awoken before the sun had risen and was given ten minutes to gather what I wanted - within reason - before I was blindfolded and led into the forest. I had my bag slung over my shoulder and the dagger Jane had helped me make tucked into the waistband of my pants.

Per tradition, the Chief and the Elders had come to give me the blessing of the People and of the Forest before the test had begun. Since I had no family of my own to support me, Angela and Frankie had stepped in with the latter sneaking some clear fishing line into one of the side compartments of my bag. Before blindfolding me, Cavanaugh had tied a woven white and brown band around both my biceps, explaining that the white signified that I was an innocent while the brown signified which village I belonged to. While Jane's village was indeed the last remaining true shifter village, over time others had deflected and sought out new beginnings and new homes for themselves and their families. No one was a hundred percent sure how many other shifters there were out there in other communities, but everyone knew that there were a few exiled ones who didn't have an issue picking me off. I guess it was that little fact that had made Jane so angry.

But now I found myself miles and miles away from Sanctuary and only a few more minutes away from the Middle. I had tried to pay attention to where we were going and storing away all the sounds and smells that would guide me back to Sanctuary, but because of the fast pace we were going at, I had lost track. Obviously, the goal was to be able to make it back to Sanctuary in one piece as quickly as possible in order to have passed the test but I would spend the first day gathering what I needed and coming up with a plan to get back before setting out.

Too soon for my liking, we came to a stop and someone helped me off of the horse I had been on. I could hear the warriors moving about and talking in a language I wasn't completely fluent in. The air became charged and I knew that at least one of them had shifted.

"You must wait ten minutes from the moment we leave to remove your blindfold. The only time you may remove it before then is if you sense that you are in danger." Based off of the voice, I had surmised that it had been Ramsay. I nodded my understanding and like a warm breeze, the group left and I was effectively alone and vulnerable.

I waited the required ten minutes before slipping my blindfold off and cataloguing the environment around me.

The sun had set high above the trees and I estimated the time to be about 11 o'clock which meant that we had been traveling for about nine hours. Shrugging my pack down my shoulders, I began sorting everything I had packed in order of importance:

A canteen that was about a third of the way filled.

A few rations of smoked venison.

Half a loaf of bread.

Frankie's fishing line.

Flint

Twine

Some matches

My knife

Four small pouches of ingredients for salves, poultices, and pain relievers.

And a few other little odds and ends that probably wouldn't be of much importance to me. Looking through the pouches, I found that while I had most of what I needed, some of the ingredients had been removed which now forces me to either look for what I need or to improvise. Storing my water, food, medicine pouches, matches, and twine back inside my bag, I set out in search of any materials I can use for the medicine, creating fires, or anything of nutritional value. I'd likely have to set up a few traps as well.

Setting off in the direction of which I came - fine, I followed the hoof prints from the horses - I made little marks in the trees about every hundred or so steps to signify that I had been there. Of course, I ensured that my defacement was only minor so that the bark would be able to regrow with little issue. Along the way, I picked through dead leaves, moss, some berry bushes, and a bed of flowers and packed what I took inside an empty compartment on my pack.

Satisfied I had everything I needed for the time being, I continued walking.

At some point, Jane had popped into my head and had refused to leave. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining but right now I needed to be focusing on making it through the next four days, not on fantasizing about what may happen.

"Alright, Maura...time to focus. You have to get back to Sanctuary, then you can fantasize." I snapped myself out of my daydreams and decided to take a break. I had made a decent amount of time and figured that the time was about 4 o'clock in the evening and that the sun would begin to set in about an hour. I would rest for a few minutes now and then continue walking until I found some place suitable to camp for the night.

I set my bag on the ground in front of me and dug through it until I found the canteen. If I wanted to make the water last until I was able to find a usable source or until I made it back to Sanctuary, I had to watch how much I drank and at what time of the day I drank it. The higher the sun is overhead, the warmer the temperature would be. Since the body expels water as sweat, I would have to limit my water intake to the morning and evening when the temperatures are lower. Since the human body can go without water for three days of proper hydration, I would have to find a source of running water at some point without straying too far off my path.

I took a few sips before putting it back and securing my bag over my shoulders once more. Getting up, I stretched and worked out a few pains on my muscles before continuing on my way.

Nothing was going to stop me from making it back to the village.

 **R &I**

As the fire of my makeshift camp crackled and popped in front of me, I couldn't help but think of my family. Had they noticed that I had been gone for longer than I had said? Had they even known of the plane crash? If they did, did they try to find any answers or did they just take it at face value and plan a funeral for an empty casket? Did anyone from my old life even care that I was gone?

Shaking my head, I pushed the thoughts of my past away and instead allowed myself to think of Jane.

Besides the obvious, she is single handedly the most fascinating person I have ever met. She's kind, smart, strong, and she knows so much about everything. I remember one occasion a few weeks into my training where one of the hunters had imprinted on girl from a different village. She was also a hunter and they had literally run into each other after they had been tracking the same deer. However, she wasn't a shifter so you can imagine her surprise when she was bowled over by a Painted Dog.

The hunter, Ryn, and his new mate, Elizabeth, had spent a few hours talking to Cavanaugh and the parents of both parties before it was decided that the girl would join Jane's village if they all agreed to merge the two tribes. Everyone agreed and a week later, a large ceremony was held and everyone from Elizabeth's tribe attended to show solidarity with Sanctuary. It was a grand event, really.

The day before was spent gathering only the best crops, fishing for the best fish, scavenging for the best berries and flowers, and picking out the best livestock for the feast the next night. The rest of the day was spent preparing and setting up extra quarters for those who were too intoxicated to head home that night. I had helped where I could and spent several hours helping Angela ground down wheat and corn for bread before she shooed me over to help Frankie and Jane fish.

As the day wore on and night approached, Jane gathered up a small party to go hunt for a buck. She extended the invitation to me and while I was hesitant to go, she convinced me that I wouldn't have to do anything but watch and learn. She slung an ornate looking bow across her back with the quiver attached before sprinting into the tree line. It was then that I realized how much her animal influenced her human form. Jane had ran, leapt, and climbed with a grace I had only seen in cats.

When one of the men had picked up a trail, they began to fan out to be able to catch the animal from any side when it ran. I had elected to stay behind with Jane - big surprise there - while she lowered herself into a crouch and took her bow in hand. Nocking an arrow, she took aim, breathed in once...twice...held on the inhale and let the arrow fly. The large buck didn't feel a thing. Jane went forward and collected her kill, saying a few words of thanks for the life she took to provide life to her friends and family. Working quickly, they skinned the animal, harvested the antlers, and took what meat they needed before leaving the rest of the carcass for the forest.

The goods were brought back and the meat was immediately treated and stored in a container of salt. The hide was cleaned, stretched, and set out to tan for the next morning while the antlers were also treated and brought to Cavanaugh.

Later on as Jane and I began to separate for the night, I inquired as to how the next day would work.

" _Jane?"_

" _Maura."_

" _What happens once the other village arrives?" Jane turned and leaned against the wall across from where I sat on my bed._

" _Well...once Elizabeth and her family arrive, they'll meet with Cavanaugh, the Elders, and Ryn and his family. If everything goes as expected, the day will begin with a small ceremony declaring the day as a day of importance and a few blessings will be given. Then while the food is being prepared, there are events and games for the adults, teens, and children to enjoy. Honestly, it's just for Ryn to show off his skills and prove that he's able to take care of and provide for Elizabeth and the family they may have." She paused and allowed me a moment._

" _What about Elizabeth? Will she have to participate, too?" Jane nodded and adjusted her stance._

" _Yeah, she'll have to prove that she's a capable of feeding her family while also being able to defend them. Both she and Ryn will go through some of the hunting and tactical stuff, no one really pays attention to how they do. Then after the sun has gone down, we'll all gather for the actual bonding ceremony and celebrate their new life together before having a feast and dancing the night away." Jane paused as she took one last look around before she left for her mother's home._

" _Tomorrow, it's all about having fun, showing off, and teasing when someone messes up. It's also about our community and our families as something that should be cherished," There was something that went unspoken but understood. "Hey! Maybe we'll even get you to participate tomorrow, too!" Jane grinned a devilish grin._

" _Only if you you'll be joining me."_

" _Oh, I will be. Just you watch, doctor."_

How I hadn't picked up on all our flirtation earlier baffled me. From day one there was a certain level of flirtation that had been exchanged and batted back and forth between us.

Suddenly, the fire I had started popped and began to burn out. Sighing, I shifted the ashes around and threw in a few more twigs and dry tinder before situating myself into the little lean-to and settled in for the night.

I'll have more time to think about Jane in the morning, but now I needed my rest.

 **R &I**

Maura's p.o.v

 _ **Day 2**_

It was the rain that had woken me up. It gave no warning and came down in torrents that were so strong the droplets stung as they hit my skin. Scrambling, I picked up my bag and headed onward. If I could find somewhere that had a denser tree covering, I would be able to get some protection from the rain.

Unfortunately for me, there were no thick canopies for miles.

Eventually, I just gave up and slowed to a decent paced walk. I wanted to go as fast as I could without wearing myself out but at the same time, the cool rain felt good against my heated skin. While the nights were often cool, they were also slightly humid and as soon as the sun was overhead, everything below was at its mercy. Out of everything in this new world, the scorching heat was something I don't think I would ever get used to. There was still such a long ways to go before I would make it back to Sanctuary and to make matters worse, the hoof tracks had been washed away by the rain.

I might be on my own now but I had every confidence in my abilities and my trainings to get me through the next two days. I kept on walking and after about three or four hours, the rain had let up enough where I was able to see more than ten feet in front of me. I had finished the little water I had left so now would be the perfect time to set out my canteen and let it collect water.

I sandwiched it between two large rocks and found some cover beneath a tree and ate a handful of jerky and a chunk of bread. As I ate, I studied the state I was in. My feet and legs were muddy from the early morning rain and now sitting on the ground. I had a few scrapes and a bruise on my shin from a tumble I took yesterday. My shorts were soaked through and so is my shirt. I don't think I had looked forward to a bath so much in my entire life.

Before all of this happened, I considered myself to be exceptionally organized and tidy. My work station was always meticulously kept; the tools had their place and the various chemicals and extraneous supplies were labeled and filed away in alphabetical order. All case files were organized by last name and the year in which it was opened. If the case was closed, it was moved to another filing cabinet and filed away in the same manner, but if the case went cold it was moved to a third cabinet and kept open in case any new evidence was brought forward.

But now, sitting in the mud and the rain it was almost laughable how much my life had changed in the last few months. I had gone from a respected medical examiner who had been used to attending lavish parties and dressing in the most beautiful clothing to attending various meetings and gatherings in shorts and a cotton shirt. While it is vastly different than what I am used to, I am beyond grateful that these people have so readily taken me in as one of their own without hesitation. Jane could have just as easily left me in the wreckage to succumb to my injuries and no one would have noticed that I had vanished.

Finishing off the bread, I leaned forward and checked on the canteen. It was only about half way full so I resigned myself to waiting a little while longer until it was filled. While I waited, I couldn't help but think of what would come next. Would the people at Sanctuary see me as one of their own or would they still see me as an outsider? I'm sure there are going to be a few people who have their doubts, but like every society in the world, accepting an outsider was difficult. I would like to think that as time passed and I was able to prove that I belonged there, they would change the way they saw me. I would no longer be the broken woman rescued from a wreckage, but the woman who was willing and able to provide and give back to the community. Either way, as long as Jane didn't push or send me away, I would be staying.

From what I understood and what was explained to me, the initial bond between a shifter and their mate was incredibly strong and complex. The moment that it happened, the one they were bonded to becomes their entire life and nothing but death could break it. Where one went the other followed; like some invisible string tethered the two together in such a way that time and distance had no effect on it. Even now I could feel Jane in my mind's eye and although our bond was fairly new, I could tell that she was alive and unhurt. Knowing that I had that connection to her...it made me feel safe and I felt that everything would be okay.

I felt confident in the new nature of Jane and I's newfound relationship. It was the thought of what would come _after_ that scared me. Angela had delicately explained what usually happened after the ceremony that recognized the bonding between two people. By no means was I a virgin, but being with another woman was uncharted territory. Although sexuality was fluid and could change at any time, the mere thought of being with Jane in _that way_ made my skin flush and ignite.

I found myself suddenly wanting time to move faster.

 **R &I**

I had been walking for a few hours when I heard it.

 _Crack_

 _Crack_

 _Crack_

 _Crack_

My hair stood on end and my skin flushed. I stopped walking, just thinking that it was my own weight upon the ground. When there was no other sound besides the birds singing and the bugs buzzing, I took a cautious step forward. Step after step was taken with precise calculation, but I still felt uneasy.

All of a sudden, the air became supercharged and time slowed down. Before I could even think about running, I was met with the cold wet ground. A heavy weight settled upon my shoulders, effectively pinning me to the forest floor.

For the longest millisecond of my life, my entire life flashed before my eyes. Every significant moment of my life played out as if I were looking in for the outside: my graduation from boarding school and college, finishing my apprenticeship programs, beginning my work at the local clinic and then the county morgue. My promotion to Chief Medical Examiner then signing up for the relief aid and meeting Jane.

Just the thought of never seeing her again made my heart clench. It was then that I decided to fight. Bucking and twisting, I tried my hardest to dislodge the beast on my back. Struggling proved futile when sharp claws dug deeper into the skin of my back and threatened to pierce bone. So instead, I feigned death and hoped it would leave me alone. Whatever it was shifted its weight onto my shoulders as it sniffed around my head, neck, and back. I fought the urge to cry out as both of my scapula began to protest under the strain. As its warm, foul breath seared its way through my nose, I saw my opportunity to make a run for it.

Only an arms reach away sat a jagged rock. It was about the size of my fist and I doubted that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. All I had to do now was wait for the right opportunity.

 **R &I**

" _Angela?"_

" _Yes dear."_

" _What was Jane like as a child?" Angela turned from the counter and came to sit down across from me. She propped her head on an arm and smiled._

" _Well, what would you like to know? I've already told you about when she was a baby and a child...unless you just want me to fill in the blanks?" She offered and I nodded, grateful that she was so willing to spend however long it took for her to recount all that she could of her daughter. I nodded and Angela seemed to be getting her thoughts in order before she began._

" _Before she was even born, Jane was a fighter; always kicking a storm. It was only after she was born did her father and I realize just muh of a storm she could raise. I remember one night when she was about four or five months old and she had the worst case of colic I had ever seen. Janie cried and cried for hours on end and no matter what we did, she just would not settle. Finally, her father had gotten so desperate that he took her outside and stood with her in the river. He figured that since she was inside of me for so long, the water might be able to calm her down." She paused and I watched as her face took on a dreamy expression._

" _I'll never forget what the two of them looked like. Janie all cuddled up against Frank as the water flowed around them or how the sunset made this halo of beautiful orange light. The look on his face when his little girl stopped crying was one of pure joy. From then on whenever Janie was inconsolable, we would take her out and sit in the river with her and as she got older, we would just let her run and splash around. From the moment she could walk, she always wanted to be outside; always running around in the grass, playing in the mud, or trying to climb trees too tall. I swore I was going to go completely grey before she turned ten." Angela paused again and I patiently waited for her to continue, wanting so badly to hear more about the woman I was unequivocally tied to._

" _After Frankie and Tommy were born, she took on this role of protector, going from this wild child in the forest to the gentlest creature in the matter of seconds. She did everything for her brothers; change their diapers, help feed them, cuddled them, wiped away their tears, taught them to walk and run and climb trees," She paused for a moment, shifting in her seat before continuing, "We probably should have realized that she would have been some type of cat early on. The way she moved and acted and the way her emotions seemed to change so quickly should have tipped us off."_

" _When did Jane first shift? From what she's told me, there's a coming of age celebration that all the children take part in. How well did she react to the original shift?" Angela's smile quickly thinned and her arms went to rest across each other on the table. The sudden change in atmosphere and posture told me that what Angela had to say was likely to be difficult._

" _It was hard on her. She shifted that first time right before her 8th birthday. Usually when someone shifts for the first time, it lines up with the hormones from puberty and because she was so young, it was difficult for her to understand what was happening. Janie had been out playing with a few other kids after their lessons when she shifted. From what we were told by the other children and some of the adults was that one of the bigger kids had been picking on one of the younger boys and Jane being Jane intervened and ended up taking a solid punch to the face. She fell to the ground and before anyone could react, she had shifted and pounced on the older boy. He was fortunate that she only had her baby teeth because with the way she was gnawing on his arm, he would have needed extensive treatments had she been a little older."_

 _Knowing Jane now made it very easy to picture a four and a half foot child with a wild mane of dark locks and an equally dark gaze defending and fighting for others who couldn't. The way Angela described her daughter made me realize how much the two women were alike. They were both equally protective of those they loved and for those who were in need of help or too innocent to help themselves. It was then that I found myself falling more for the woman who had become my everything._

" _When she realized what had happened, she got so embarrassed and tried to get back into the house before she shifted so no one would see her naked. It took a couple of hours to get her to change back, but once she got the hang of being able to let both sides take control, she was perfectly fine. Although she spent most of her time as her Cat, she still made sure to help take care of her brothers and she really stepped up for them when Frank and I split a few years later. She didn't have it easy when she was a teen but I think that she's managed to make it to adulthood relatively unscathed." We were both silent for while, comfortable in the silence that had been created when Angela looked to me and sighed._

" _The day Frank and I split was a difficult one. I had known something was...off...for a while before he told me that he had bonded to a woman from a city a few days from here while he was on a trading route. The kids were beginning to catch on and I guess it was becoming hard for him to stay away from her so he told us." Angela sucked in a breath and I could tell that she was fighting back tears. I reached out and put my hand over hers in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. The older woman smiled and continued on. "It hurt...a lot. Knowing that the man you had given your life to had found the other half of his soul in a woman that wasn't you. It hurt more than anything in the world and I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. Tommy and Frankie took it better than Jane did. She was such a daddy's girl and she thought that we weren't enough for Frank. They got into an argument one night before he was set to leave. She got so worked up that her cat forced a shift and she took off into the jungle. While she was out cooling off, Frank and I talked to the boys about who they wanted to stay with. We made it clear that no matter the decision, they would always be welcome to visit the other parent whenever they wanted for as long as they wanted. Frankie refused to even consider leaving and Tommy decided he wanted to go with his father. After the boys were in bed, Frank and I talked about Jane and he decided that it was probably best that she stay here with me. I agreed and we went our separate ways for the night. It wasn't until almost a year later that Frankie told me Jane had snuck back in the house to spend the night and say goodbye to Tommy before he left. Even though she was only 15, she was forced to grow up too soon for my liking. She picked up the extra slack of only having one parent and worked her butt off to get work set up for Frankie once she became old enough to Test and begin training as a warrior. Even now she makes sure to drop off supplies and little odds and ends to make sure that I have what I need. Janie can be such a pain in the ass and as stubborn as a mule, but she loves her family and her people dearly." Angela chuckled and then fixed her gaze on me. It was the kind of deep gaze that you felt at the core of your being. She then smiled and patted my hand._

" _You'll be good for Janie. You're the lighthouse in her storm; able to bring her back down to earth and ground her when things get rough. The two of you are going to change each others lives so much that you won't know what hit ya." She laughed and stood, coming around the table to pull me into a tight hug._

" _Welcome to the family, sweetheart."_

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v.

 _ **Day 3**_

Maura had run until her legs gave out. She had run until she once again found herself face to face with the dirt. Rolling over onto her back, she gulped down as much air as she could, desperate to fill her burning lungs and winced as the pebbles and twigs irritated the gouges on her back. Sitting up, Maura Isles took in her surroundings.

Estimating the time to be a little after five in the evening, she realized that she had been running for a little over four hours. Four hours of running at almost a dead sprint. Fortunately, it seemed that after she had bashed the beast with the jagged rock, she had managed to subdue it long enough to be able to gain a considerable distance from it. Unfortunately, in her panic and desperation to get away, she had left her supplies behind. Now without water, food, supplies, or the materials needed for basic healing, she was completely on her own. By a stroke of luck, her knife had remained notched onto her waistband.

Standing up, Maura took a moment to figure out how far she had strayed from her path and how long it would take to get back on it. Figuring that the average person can run a mile in about ten minutes and 3 miles in thirty one minutes, she had surmised she had traveled about twenty five miles in the last four hours. Taking into account how far she had been taken out into the forest on the first day, she could be anywhere within a fifty five mile radius from Sanctuary. Regardless, she knew that she would have to plan out a new path to get back to Sanctuary, but for now, she would have to worry about finding a reliable source of water and food.

With nothing else, Maura Isles set forth in hopes of making it back to Sanctuary.

 **R &I**

" _Jane, may I ask you a question?"_

" _Technically, I think you already did, but go ahead. Ask away."_

" _Does your father shift? Since the ability to shift is passed down from parent to child, I would assume that one of your parents shift." Maura watched as Jane tensed. An apology was on its way out, but it died on her lips as Jane's voice was carried by the wind._

" _You know that my Ma doesn't shift, but my Pop does. A parent doesn't always have to shift in order for their child to. As long as the gene is present, any offspring will have a chance of the gene becoming active." The brunette carried on with whittling away at the hunk of wood, determined to get the figurine carved before the arrival of her brother and new nephew. The explanation had made sense to the doctor, but she still had more questions._

" _If you don't mind my asking, what animal does your father possess?" Jane smiled, knowing that Maura would ask question after question until she was satisfied she had received all the answers she needed._

" _He's a wolf...like Frankie. Pop's family has almost always had canine shifters in their bloodlines. Interestingly enough, it's my Ma's side that has all the cats which is where I get my shift from." The blonde nodded and her brunette counterpart could see all the intricate wheels turning in her head. Chuckling, Jane began explaining from the beginning as best as she could._

" _When it comes to shifting, the genes are similar to...say...having brown eyes. As long as one of the parents has the gene -dormant or active - then there's a chance that any offspring they have will also carry the gene. Now, if both parents carry the gene and its active within both of them, then it's just about guaranteed that their offspring will be able to shift. If one parent has it, then it's fifty-fifty. However, if neither of parents has the active gene, then it's more likely for the offspring to also carry it in its dormant form. There are some exceptions to that, however. If at least half of the grandparents have the active gene, then their grandchildren have an increased chance of also having the active gene. If both sets of grandparents shift but for the miniscule chance that their child does not, their grandchild will still have a very high chance of actively shifting." The she-cat paused and waited to see if her companion had any questions. When the blonde said nothing, she continued on._

" _Pop's side of the family has very rarely been anything else besides animals of the canine sort. The same can be said about my Ma's feline ancestors. It's kinda funny if you think about it. Cats and dogs living within the same bloodlines. Frankie and I used to argue all the time growing up. I would tell him to do one thing and he would argue with me and go do something else. Forget about when we were both shifted. The phrase 'fighting like cats and dogs' had a whole new meaning." Jane chuckled and studied the half completed figurine in her hand. "Anyways, while some of the shifts can be predicted, for the most part it's impossible to tell which animal within a species will manifest. Instead of being a Jaguar, I could have easily been a mountain lion or a lynx. Frankie could have easily been a hyena or a coyote. Sometimes kids get mad when they shift for the first time and they realize that their animal isn't what they wanted. Usually, they get over it and learn to adjust." The brunette paused and seeing a question burning behind hazel eyes, waited for her counterpart to speak._

" _Does your other brother shift?" Maura watched as Jane's knife cut through the wood like butter._

" _Nah. He took after Ma in that way. I remember him being so excited when he turned twelve. Every morning he'd wake up and was convinced that that day would be the day that he finally shifted. By the time he and Pop left, he still hadn't shifted. About a year or so later we got a letter from saying that he wasn't a shifter. He said that he was pretty upset at first but he had came to terms and now he's working at some business with Pop in the city. Tommy hasn't been home in a couple years so I'm excited to be able to see him."_

 _From then on the pair worked on in silence: Jane carving a little figurine for her new nephew and Maura organizing and putting together poultices. Neither woman had a clue as to how much their lives were about to change._

 **R &I**

Maura walked for a few hours more before her body refused to go any further. Coming to rest against a fallen tree, she stretched her tired and sore limbs out, relishing in the way they no longer seized up. Besides in pain, the blonde woman was hungry and very thirsty and knew that if she didn't find water soon, she would begin to dehydrate. From there, her health would be on a quick decline. As a doctor, she knew that her body would only be able to survive in freezing water or without air for three minutes, without water for three days, and little to no food for three weeks. There was some debate on the amount needed for sleep, but the body was very resilient and would shut itself down if it needed to.

She wondered how Jane and Frankie and everyone else in Sanctuary had weathered during their testing. Had they run into similar troubles as she had or were they faster than she was? Having known Jane these past few months, she had no doubt that the tall woman had excelled at her testing and could only speculate that her brother had also done well. Both Rizzoli siblings were superb specimens. Both were tall and had solid musculature. They were skilled hunters, fighters, and scavengers. Since a majority of the people in Sanctuary had grown up within its boundaries, they were more familiar with the forests and with the environment whereas Maura didn't have the same familiarity. She hoped that she was able to earn that familiarity once she was back in the safe boundaries of the little village she had become accustomed to calling 'home'.

Having Sanctuary as her home also meant she could be with Jane. A tired smile crept upon her face at the thought of her new mate. She thought of what their future together would look like and what it would bring. Although it would be a while yet, Maura knew that once they were able to take that final step together, there would be nothing holding them back. She would be a member of Sanctuary and bound to Jane. For once in her life, Maura Isles looked forward to the future.

Looking around her now, she took in the details of the trees and outcroppings in the diminishing light. It grew too dark too quickly to be able to make any connection from her surroundings to her memory. So, the exhausted woman settled for trying to sleep before continuing on with her journey at first light.

 **R &I**

With a jolt, the tired woman awoke and frantically searched her surroundings. Something had woken her from her slumber and it had put her senses on high alert. The early morning sun was just beginning to peak over the tops of the trees when she heard it.

Voices

She could hear voices.

Getting into a low crouch, Marura began to look for a place to hide as they began to grow closer. Spotting a hallowed ground where a tree's roots had gapped, the woman quickly wiggled underneath and ignored the creeping and crawling bugs around her. It was only a moment more before two pairs of feet came into her view. She sank further back and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sounds of her breathing. Suddenly, the strangers stopped and began looking around; their legs taking them in different directions until they came to stand together once more.

Words were traded before they set forth once more and eventually faded out of sight. Erring on the side of caution, Maura waited a handful of minutes more before cautiously struggling her way out of her hiding spot and continuing. She walked along for about an hour more before stopping. Later on, she would hate herself for losing focus and neglecting to study her surroundings, but at that moment, she would always be thankful for the time Jane had showed off the sharpness of the blade on her favorite knife. Mere feet in front of her eyes was a tree that bore the carvings of a pair of very familiar initials.

 _JCR_

 _MDI_

Afterwards, Jane had teased that she should have added a heart around the initials but Maura had simply chuckled and sent another tease in response.

" _Maybe someday."_

Knowing exactly where she was, the blonde was filled with a burst of energy that propelled her forward and carried her that last little distance where she was met with a very familiar sight. A laugh bubbled up in her chest and found its way out amongst a sea of tears. Tanned arms caught her as she fell and the one voice she longed to hear bellowed out in the distance.

"Maura!"

Tired, sore, filthy, hungry, and oh so thirsty, Maura Isles was finally home.

 **R &I**

 **I had planned to get this up so much sooner but some very dire and unexpected personal and family issues came up and couldn't be ignored. I hope you'll take this longer chapter as an olive branch and as an apology for being gone so long. From now on, I am going to try my best to update more frequently so that you lovely people won't have to wait two months between each update.**

 **I have a few more ideas in mind for the next two or three chapters which will include Maura's recovery and inclusion into the village while trying to figure out where she fits in amongst the People. There's also going to be a few chapters between that and the bonding ceremony of our favorite couple so if you guys have any ideas or suggestions for what I can fill in between then, I would love to hear what you've got. Don't be afraid to let me know. Like I mentioned in the beginning A/N, the gaps in the days are done on purpose. Throughout the next chapters, I'll be revealing more of what went down in detail and the experiences behind it, so I threw in little snippets of memories that I hope didn't draw too much away from the main story. After all, there was a reason behind it but I'll get to that in a later chapter.**

 **On a side note, the character Ryn is pronounced as** _ **Wren**_ **(like the bird).**

 **As always, all suggestions, ideas, and reviews are welcome and I thank each and every one of you for your continued support.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	9. Chapter 9

**I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you lovely people for sticking around and actually giving me a chance to bring these characters to life in a way that is rarely portrayed.**

 **Anyways, this chapter takes place a couple hours before the ending of the last chapter. I had originally planned to write a long chapter from Jane's point of view and her thoughts about being so far away from Maura over a number of days. Instead, we've got what's going on once Jane gets back from her supply run. I'll include more of her little excursion in the upcoming chapters.**

 **There were some concerns in the last chapter about the plausibility of Maura being able to run that distance in that short of a time. However, after asking one of my cousins who is an avid marathoner, it is possible for someone to run that distance in that many hours. The record held by a woman for a marathon is two hours and a handful of minutes, but I thought that stretching it to four hours (which is the average time) would make it a bit more realistic. There is also the fact that we know that Maura is a fan of exercise so I doubt that she would have much trouble with running such a distance. Adrenaline also played a large part.**

 **Per the usual, I don't own anything, unrecognizable characters are mine as are any mistakes you find.**

 _ **Italics**_ **are thoughts shared to Jane from her Animal.**

 **R &I**

Jane's P.O.V.

Finding your mate was supposed to be one of the greatest moments of your life. It was the one thing that everyone looked forward to achieving...except me.

After Pop left and I saw what it did to Ma, I vowed to never find a mate. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of some cruel cosmic joke and end up like my mother. I also feared becoming like my father and devastating some poor man when I found my true mate in someone else.

I guess the cosmos had different plans for me.

The first being bonded to someone after I had tried my hardest to avoid everyone as much as possible. Once I was old enough, I banished myself to the forest to escape the people and to minimize my odds of walking through the village and bonding to someone. The second was finding Maura in the wreckage. Once I had seen what was left of the plane, I had no intentions of going any further, but for some reason, I did. I went through the debris and unknowingly brought my mate back to my home. I guess that's something else that surprised me. My entire life I had thought that who ever I bonded to would be a man, but I found my life partner in a woman instead.

Although it wasn't uncommon, nine out of ten times a bonded pair consisted of a man and a woman so that they could give birth to the next generation. It was common, however, for same sex-couples to be from families who have multiple children. Since my line has Frankie and Tommie to produce the next generation, whatever powers that be allowed me to find my mate in Maura. For that, I will always be grateful.

My life was going to be so different now. Before, I just did what I wanted when I wanted. Now, I'll have to take Maura and her feelings and wishes into consideration. I was no longer returning to a quiet and empty house because now I had someone to come home to. The thought alone made a warmth seep into my chest.

Of course, Maura had to make it back first. I had every faith in the woman and as long as she remembered what we all taught her, barring any surprises, she should be returning any day now. Once she made it back, Maura would be taken to the healers to be checked over. Then, if she wanted, she could go and cleanse herself of the past few days and then I would take her to Ma's place so she could have an actual meal. Cavanaugh would let her have a few days to rest and recuperate before he would talk with her about becoming an official member of Sanctuary. At that point, she had already beat the biggest hurdle and the final decision would come down to the People, me and my family, and herself. If no one had any objections and she decided to stay, then a ceremony would be performed to welcome her amongst the ranks. Once that happened, she would be able to choose which career she wanted and would begin formal training with the most experienced member. It wouldn't be until after she was settled would we finally be able to become a bonded, and then eventually, a mated pair.

Before my mind began to wander any farther, I focused on the task at hand.

Jackson, Milo, Xavier, and I were only a few miles from home. We had managed to bring the supplies to the outpost and spun some story that they seemed to believe. Besides, it was unlikely that they would send someone out to double check with all the feral animals stalking around. After that, we headed to the small city where one of our contacts resided and stocked up on everything that was needed and requested.

Vince Korsak was always happy to see us and eager to help. Years ago, he had been part of Sanctuary and like me, he had dedicated himself with the protection and the safety of the people. For thirty years, he served as a hunter and a warrior before old age caught up and limited what he could do. So instead, he settled for being a Watcher. Up until a few years ago, he had done his duty with diligence and no complaints. However, it was my undoing by a certain beast that had finally drove him away.

Korsak was able to get us what we needed and extended an invitation to dinner and a warm place to stay before we began the trek back home the following morning. The guys readily accepted the offer and I couldn't help but agree with them; a hot meal and a warm bed sounded luxurious after spending the last four and a half days out in the open.

"Hey Jane, what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get back? I'm looking forward to a bath and some extra sleep." Milo hopped over a creeping root and adjusted the pack on his shoulders.

"I bet she's gonna go claim her girl. Shit, I wouldn't blame you if I had a girl of my own. I'm looking forward to some of mom's cooking, too." An echoing thud and an exclamation of pain beat any retort I could have given the teen. Xavier rubbed the spot his twin had hit and sent him a glare.

"If you had a girl of your own, you wouldn't be out here. You also wouldn't still be living with your mother, now would you?" His twin and his friend didn't even bother trying to hide the snorts of laughter at his expense.

 **R &I**

By the time the outer boundaries of Sanctuary came into view, the sun began its descent and brought the early hours of the evening with it. Since the families that grew crops were located on the outer boundaries, they were the first to see us and offered welcoming smiles and waves. The farms with livestock were next followed by the artisans, a few storage longhouses, and some of the warrior's quarters. The second innermost boundary housed the unmated singles while the next housed the mated couples and their families. Mixed in with them were the healers, the main longhouse, the Chief's and the elders' homes.

Almost immediately, the children swarmed around and began pestering us for any goodies that we may have brought back. Sneaking them a few pieces of candy wouldn't hurt.

Offloading our gear and distributing what was requested, we gathered what was ours and went our separate ways. I went to Ma's place first to drop off the new yarn, new clothing, and a few odds and ends before going for a quick wash and scrounging up a warm meal.

"Janie! You're back a day early! How did it go? Did you get everything I asked for? Are you hungry? I have some food left over from lunch if you're hungry or if you want to wait until dinner, I can whip up one of your favorites-"

"MA! Breathe. Everything went fine and everything was delivered. All your stuff is in the bag on the hook by the door. I'm hungry but I want to go wash up and get a clean change of clothes before I even think of doing anything else. Having to babysit three teens isn't all shits and giggles." Ma chortled and enveloped me in a tight hug.

"Go wash up and I'll have something waiting for you to get back. Maybe you can even start clearing out your place and getting some space organized for when Maura gets back." Ma raised an eyebrow and I could feel my cheeks start to burn.

"Cut it out. I know where you're going with this. Maura already has more than enough room to put all her stuff and to put away whatever else she finds. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go bathe and keep myself occupied until Maura gets back." Ma kissed my cheek and practically shoved me out of the door. I hurried through my bath before going back home to change into some fresh clothes. Throwing my dirty laundry into a basket, I left it and planned on doing it later.

A knock on the door frame pulled at my attention.

"Well, well, well...look what the cat dragged in. You bring anything back for your favorite brother, Janie?" I spun around and couldn't help the wide smile that burst across my face.

"Tommy! When did you get here? I was just at Ma's and she didn't say anything. How are you doing? Where's TJ?" I wrapped him in a tight hug and he laughed, squeezing me in a tight hug of his own.

"Easy, Jane. You're starting to sound like mom with all the questions," he laughed as he dodged my fist on it's way to his shoulder. "I got in earlier this morning and I've been with Cavanaugh for the last little while, but I went around and caught up with everyone. TJ's doing great. He's starting to crawl around and he's getting more talkative. Less screams and more babble" A proud look crossed his features and I couldn't help the pride that creeped up.

"I'm proud of you, Tommy. With all the shit that went down when we were younger and all the trouble you got into, you've finally found a good place." Tommy blushed and scuffed at the floor.

"Nah, you're jus' sayin that."

"I mean it, Tommy. You caused a lot of trouble when we were kids and now you've got a business with Pop. You've got a home and you've got Lydia and T.J. You've come a long way, little brother, and you should be proud of that. Just keep being a good father to my nephew and we won't have any issues. You hear?" He chuckled and slung an arm over my shoulder.

"I hear ya, Jane. Trust me, I hear ya."

 **R &I**

I spent the next few hours catching up with Tommy and doting on T.J. while Ma drove herself nuts trying to make a huge feast to welcome her son and grandson home.

"So T, you have any plans on having anymore of these little guys?" Frankie asked as he stacked blocks with the baby. Tommy shook his head and leaned on an elbow.

"T.J is more than enough for now. But, it would be nice for him to have a brother or sister down the line. What about you Frankie? Got any plans to have some pups running around?" Tommy turned the question back on his older brother. Frankie show him a dirty look before deflecting the attention to me.

"Hey, did you hear our Janie imprinted on an outsider? I'm surprised Ma hasn't been gusing about her new daughter." I scowled at him but he just smirked. I would definitely be getting revenge for that later. Tommy's sky blue eyes widened.

"I did _not_ know that. What's she like? How did she take to the whole zoo? Is she gonna stay here? Which career is she gonna choose? What are you plan-"

"Alright! Alright, I'll tell you if you just stop with the questions. I swear you're as bad as Ma." He just grinned and ma protested from the kitchen. I gave him a rundown of what's happened over the last few months and Tommy nodded along as he listened. Frankie pitched in with some of his own stories and I turned my attention back to my nephew.

He had the same blue eyes as his father, but his hair was a lighter shade of brown. His cheeks were round and chubby as he smiled and squealed. On more than one occasion, his grubby little hands found themselves entangled in my hair and my attempts to untangle the two only served to humor the boy. I distracted him with a few of the toys Tommy brought along and we played for a little while longer until Ma called us in to eat

"So, how long are you planning on staying for?" Ma asked and Tommy finished chewing before answering.

"Pop gave me two weeks off and Lydia is visiting her mother, so a week and half, I guess." She nodded.

"You and T.J. can both stay here with me. We'll make some extra room here so the two of you can be comfortable." Tommy was about to protest when a loud whine slipped it's way through my mouth. Suddenly, my heart leapt into overdrive and the table rattled as my hands slammed down and then clenched around the wood. Ma and Frankie jumped up while Tommy grabbed T.J.

What the hell was going on?

"Jane? Jane, what's going on? Are you okay?" Ma tried reaching for me, but I slid the chair back and stood, inwardly flinching as the wood made contact with the hard ground. I could feel my legs wobble and my hands tremble as I clenched and unclenched them over and over. Looking around at the faces of my family, I couldn't bring myself to describe the utter terror I was feeling. My heart felt like it was being squeezed and twisted right out of my chest; I could hear myself breathing heavily and pinpricks of sweat beaded along my hairline. My skin began to ripple and my bones began to ache, but I couldn't find it in me to move; I felt like I was paralyzed.

"C'mon Jane! Move!" Frankie had tackled me out the door in time for me to shift. A yowl made its way up and I lowered myself onto my belly.

 _Something's not right. I can feel it but I can't see it_

 _Something is wrong_

I jumped up and began pacing. There was no immediate danger that I could see and no one was crying out for help. Nothing was burning down and nothing else smelled off. My immediate senses were telling me that everything and everyone was okay, but something in the back of my mind was telling me that something else was so very wrong. Turning my internal focus onto that one spot, I poked and prodded at it until I was able to see what was causing my freak out.

 _Something was wrong with Maura_

My pacing stopped and I sunk to the ground once more. Frankie plopped himself down next to me and ran a hand along my scruff.

"You okay? Do you think you can shift back?"

 _No_

 _Have to stay here_

I turned my gaze towards him and he seemed to understand. He got up, went in the house, and came back out with a blanket around himself before sitting back down next to me. I laid my head on my paws and kept my eyes glued to the tree line, looking for the familiar head of dirty blonde hair.

At some point, Tommy had joined us outside, settling T.J. in front of me.

"Your nephew's gotta get used to the catty side of his aunt." My ears twitched in amusement and I sniffed at the baby. His eyes grew wide and he gave his father a helpless look. Stretching out further, I sniffed at his belly and huffed against his cheek. T.J. finally smiled and fisted his little hands in my sensitive whiskers and burst out in a series of giggles when I jerked back and sneezed. Taking a bunch of his shirt in my mouth, I gently pulled him to me and locked him between my paws and snuffled against his cheek again.

Frankie, T.J., and I stayed outside until Tommy brought his son in for his nightly bottle and bath before he put him to bed. Once Tommy had gone back inside, Frankie and I sat in silence for a little while longer before he broke it.

"Do you think that you can shift back? You've been out here for a while and nothing's happened." Nodding, I watched as he stood and draped the blanket over my back and turned while I phased back to Human Jane. Wrapping the blanket tight around my shoulders, I bumped him and smiled.

"Thanks for getting me out here and sitting with me. You know you didn't have to." Frankie just shrugged and threw an arm over my shoulders, guiding us back into Ma's house.

"I got your back, Janie. You'd do the same for me." I nodded and let him lead me into the kitchen where Ma was nursing what smelled like old coffee. She jumped up and wrapped me in a hug the moment Frankie and I crossed the threshold.

"Janie! Are you okay? What happened? Should I go get Susie? What do you need?" She rambled on and on and I let her get it out of her system before politely interrupting me.

"Ma, I'm fine. I don't know exactly what all that was, but I promise that I'm okay. I'm a little achy from the forced shift, but there's nothing that a good night's sleep can't fix. I'll be fine by the morning, alright? Now, I'm gonna go home and get some sleep. I have to go meet with Cavanaugh and the twins tomorrow. Love you, Ma. Night, Frankie." Giving Ma a quick kiss to the cheek and a harmless punch to Frankie's shoulder, I headed for my own house, hoping that time would go faster so that Maura could finally be home.

 **R &I**

I woke much later than I had planned to the next morning. I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a linen shirt before heading out. Cavanaugh was first on my list of people to see today.

"Rizzoli!" Turning at the sharp bark of my surname, I came to face the Chief as he left one of the nearby storages. Giving a respectful nod, I fell instep with his strides as we made our way through the village.

"I heard about what happened last night. You okay?"

"I'm fine. I came to tell you that the outpost received the supplies. They were curious about the other crate, but we told them that that was all we had found. The guys and I also made a quick stop to see Korsak and fill up on some supplies and pick up things people had requested: new shoes, clothing, cookware, books..." We walked in silence for a few moments until we reached his home. The look on his face as he turned made me uneasy.

"What? What's wrong?" His blue gaze tore straight through my own.

"She's fine, but she got cornered about forty miles outside the boundary yesterday. She fought it off and headed towards the northwest boundary. If she keeps going at the rate she is, she'll be back by tonight or early in the morning. The healers have already been given a heads up and so have anyone on the outer boundaries. People have already begun to keep a lookout incase she's made faster time than anticipated." His expression remained calm but I could see the anger worry swirling in his eyes. I guess my freak out last night made more sense now.

"But Maura's okay, right? She's not seriously hurt or anything?" My palms began to sweat and Cavanaugh gave a half hearted shrug.

"I'm not sure. The scout said that she looked a little roughed up, but that there was nothing seriously wrong. He did find this," he turned and pulled something from the bin by the door.

It was Maura's bag. Ripping it out of his grasp, I flipped it over and emptied it of its contents.

"From what I can tell, everything is still there. She's got another day's worth of cured meat and bread. None of the poultices have been used and the line your brother gave her hasn't even been unknotted. The only thing that's not there is her knife. Either she has it with her or she got separated from it. I'm hoping she's got it with her." Placing everything back inside the bag, I slung it over my shoulder and thanked Cavanaugh before setting out to find the two people I wanted.

I found the twins hauling lumber in the middle Boundary.

"Hey, Jane. What's up?" Milo dropped the bundle amongst some others and wiped his hands off on his pants. Xavier did the same and came to stand next to his brother.

"I have a favor to ask of you. I know we just got back, but I need you guys to go run a quick perimeter on the north and west side of the boundary lines. I'll run one on the south and east side." They looked to each other and Xavier shrugged.

"Sure, let us just clear it with Adam first-"

"No, I'll clear it with him. I need you guys to go as soon as possible. I'll even take over a patrol whenever you want." Both boys nodded before taking off. I found Adam and told him that I had borrowed the twins for an hour before starting my own perimeter sweep, hoping to catch wind of the scent that I had been missing for the last week. As I climbed over fallen branches and overgrown roots, I thought back to one of the last times I had seen Maura.

 **R &I**

Flashback

The day had begun with more excitement and enthusiasm than usual. People began preparing the central clearing for the ceremony, the ensuing festivities, and a longhouse for people to crash in.

Some of the farmers gathered their best crops while others wrangled prized livestock to prepare for the large feast that would take place in a few hours' time.

Maura and I helped Ma prepare various cuts of meat while Frankie helped a few other guys set up the fire pit where most of the food was going to be cooked and set up bench-like seating for the members who were too old to sit comfortably on the ground. While each family usually prepared meals for their own family, it wasn't uncommon for a few families to get together and contribute to a larger meal. On occasions such as this, we all brought something for everyone to enjoy.

"Hey, Jane, can you and Maura start on the bread? I think there's some flour left in one of the granary's from last winter." Maura and I looked at each other and she shrugged. I turned back to Ma.

"You sure? We can help finish up in here so you're not stuck with the rest of this." She waved us off and Maura and I washed up before heading to one of the four granary's in search of enough flour to make enough bread. When we found the right granary, we each filled up a sack with flour before heading back.

"As hectic as today has been...I think I can get used to it." Her admission surprised me, but a warm feeling began to settle in the core of my being anyways.

"Really?" I chanced a glance over at her. She was focused straight ahead, but the smile on her face and the relaxed glow she carried only proved to affirm her statement. I let myself smile and I playfully knocked her with my shoulder. She laughed and knocked back against me.

"I'm happy. It's been really nice having you around and honestly, I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't be sad if you decided to leave." Where in the world did that come from? I have got to have more control than that.

Maura's smile softened and she shook her head.

"I'd miss you too, Jane. For once in my life, I feel completely and genuinely happy. Maybe after all these years, this is exactly where I'm meant to be. I've told you about my parents and their lack of support, but I'm very glad that I have you, Frankie, and Angela in my life. I didn't know what I was missing out on until I met you guys. Now that I know what a family is supposed to be like...I don't want to leave." Her voice had tapered off and I could feel my cat's hackles rise and my blood boil at the mention of her parents.

Who in their right mind would neglect their child? Especially if that child is as sweet and caring and as brilliant as Maura. Here in Sanctuary, the children and the elderly are the most valued and protected members of society. While the children ensure the continued survival of the community itself, the elders are the ones who ensure the continuation of our history, our stories, and our entire culture through them and everybody else.

"Once you pass the test, you won't have to worry about mean old people in their fancy cars wearing fancy clothes at fancy jobs. You can worry about making sure all the poultices are organized by name, color, and purpose or about making sure that you don't step in cow crap every ten feet." My attempt to cheer her up worked as she shined a brilliant smile and let loose a genuine laugh.

"Well then, I look forward to years of you teasing me when I step in cow dung."

We smiled like idiots the whole way back.

 **R &I**

Completing my circuit of the east and south boundaries, I headed back to Ma's house.

I hadn't caught a single trace of Maura in the hour or so I spent out there and I hoped to God that she was okay. Cavanaugh had seemed confident beyond a doubt that she was okay; a little scuffed up, but okay. After all the shit that's gone down in the last few years, I don't doubt Cavanaugh, but in this case, I'll have to see with my own eyes.

I made it back to Ma's house and plopped down into one of the kitchen chairs and put my head down on the table.

"She'll be back soon. I can feel it." Not bothering to answer my mother, I wallowed in my misery and begged time to go faster. The chair across from me was pulled out and I internally groaned at what was likely to come next. My cat's ears perked up and she huffed.

 _Be nice...she only wants to help._

I loved my mother, don't get me wrong, but she tends to talk too damn much. Especially when you wanted to not talk about what was going on or just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Ya know Janie, when Maura gets back, everything is going to be different. It's going to be different but it's going to be exciting. You just found the person who'll stick by you through thick and thin. Where you go, Maura will follow and where Maura goes, you'll go. I know that what happened between your father and I was hard on you, Jane, and I wished so many times over the years that I could have gone back and made different decisions or handled things differently but I look at you know and I know that everything I did and didn't do lead you to become the woman that you are now. You've do so much for yourself and I still feel the guilt over you having to grow up far faster than you should have, but now you're one of the best warriors and hunters that we have. The kids look up to you and idolize you, Jane. The young hunters work their butts off to be able to have the chance of earning your approval. Sure, you can be such a pain in my ass sometimes, but I'm so proud of you and now that you have Maura, I can finally breathe because you have someone else to look out for you and you have another reason to come back home in one piece." I kept me head down but I listened. She was silent for a short moment and the only noise inside was the telltale sound of the chair being moved. Before I could react, Ma had me in a crushing hug. Normally, I would shrink back and try to wiggle my way out of a hug, but I could tell that Ma needed it.

"I know you're not a baby anymore and you like being tough, but as long as I'm living you will always be my baby. I may not like some of the things you say or do, but I'll always love you." Her voice had become deeper and I could smell the impending tears. I squeezed her harder and kissed the side of her head.

"I don't blame you for anything that happened...I never did. Was I heartbroken? Of course, but I knew that with time, everything would be okay. I did what I did because I saw you struggle between trying to get over Pop and keep things as normal for Frankie and I all while picking up the extra slack. I figured that since I was old enough, it was time for me to start helping out where I could. I could hear you crying at night and I wanted so badly for things to go back to the way they were before everything happened, but I knew that it couldn't and I thought that maybe if I worked hard enough...it would. Thinking back on it now, it sounds stupid-"

"No it doesn't Jane! It's actually very nice to know that I didn't screw you up too badly." She smiled and I couldn't control a smile of my own. Ma went back around the table and sat down once more.

"Alright, enough with this mushy stuff. How did everything go? How were the guys? Did they behave? How's Vince doing? Is he coming back soon?" I groaned out loud this time. Ma continued to ask questions rapid fire and I braced myself for Lord knows how many hours of questioning. Despite all of this, I was grateful for the welcome distraction my mother offered.

"Everything went fine; the guys were good even though it was like watching children at times; the old man is good. He met a woman named Kiki and he's completely smitten. He said that he's thinking about coming back for a little while since he hasn't visited in so long. He even said that he was considering bringing her along." It would be nice to see Korsak come back. He's been go for so long that I sometimes struggle to remember what it was like when he was still here before shit hit the fan. It's also a comfort knowing that he's also got someone looking out for him.

 _Now you understand how your mother feels_

While Ma rambled on, I thought about what my cat said and what it all entailed.

While my life was about to get a lot more interesting, I severely underestimated exactly how much sooner for a moment later, a sharp whistle rang it's way through the clearing. Time stopped and Frankie appeared at the door, sweating and panting. I stood and crossed the floor in three long strides.

"Is is her?" Frankie struggled with words as he fought to bring air into his lungs. Quickly becoming impatient, I growled out my question once more. I could feel my cat getting agitated and she near demanded that we just push our brother aside and take off.

"Frankie, is it her?" His slight nod was all I needed and I took off like a bat outta hell. I followed the sounds of various people shouting and cheering and eventually came across a sight that sucked all the air from my lungs.

It was Maura. She was dirty, bruised, and scratched up, but she was still Maura. Seeing her lying on the ground, I pushed my legs to carry me faster across the remaining twenty or so yards.

"MAURA!" I hadn't even heard the roar leave my mouth until the crowd that was around her parted and created a clear path. I threw myself to the ground and immediately hefted her up into my arms. Her eyes opened and for the briefest of moments, I was rewarded with the sight of the most beautiful eyes in the world.

"Maura? Maura, can you hear me? I'm going to take you to see the healers. You're gonna be fine, I promise."

The whole way there, I strung words together without really thinking of what I was trying to say. All I knew was that Maura was safely tucked in my arms and that she had earned her place amongst The People. Now that I had her, there was no way in hell that I was going to let her go without a fight.

God help anyone who stood in my way.

 **R &I**

 **This chapter is a little all over the place and not as fluid as previous ones and I take full blame for that. I got stuck and lost some of the desire to write. It's kind of easy to tell where I would stop and start at various points throughout this chapter and I deleted many portions and did so many rewrites.**

 **I've already started on the next chapter and while it won't be as long as this one or the last one, I'll try my hardest to get it out to you ASAP.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	10. Chapter 10

**I apologize for not having made this clearer sooner, but for the sake of the story, both Maura and Jane are 28 years old.  
As usual, all mistakes are mine and I don't own the television series or any recognizable characters. **

* * *

Omniscient P.O.V.

Jane stood vigilant over her sleeping partner as Susie and a few other healers helped clean the woman off and tended to the various cuts and scrapes that littered her skin. A few times, the elder healers had to physically move her back and out of the way, not giving a second thought towards her flaring temper. After the fifth or so push back, the brunette's cat intervened.

 _Back off…_

 _Let them do their job and help Maura…_

 _I know that you want to be close to her right now, but I'll take over if you can't control yourself..._

She growled internally at her symbiant, but heeded her words nonetheless. Jane backed up into a corner away from the hustle and bustle and made sure to keep the blonde woman in her sight.

The healers had the doctor patched up in a little over an hour; keeping note of the frighteningly familiar crescent wounds on the prone woman's shoulder blades. With the last of the gauze wrapping secured, the older women departed and left Susie in charge with the remaining care.

Beckoning the worried warrior over, she pushed up a chair and motioned for the taller woman to sit.

"From what we can see, Maura is fine. There are no broken limbs or ribs but she's got some pretty nasty bruising and a few cuts that we have to watch for infection. The only thing we can't be sure of until she wakes up is a concussion." Jane took in her words and felt relief rush through her body. For the most part, her partner was going to be okay. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

"When will I be able to bring her home? I want her to be as comfortable as possible." Susie mulled the idea over and came up with a solution that would appease both the Cat and the Elder Healers.

"Once she wakes up and we're able to determine that she doesn't have a concussion, then you can take her home."

"And if she does?"

"Then she'll have to remain here for a day or two for monitoring. After that, you can take her home." The other woman nodded in agreement and sat back in her chair.

R&I

Throughout the remainder of the day, Jane stood guard over the slumbering woman. A few hours before, her mother had shown up with dinner and practically forced her eldest child to eat and doled out threats if she didn't. Her brothers had stopped by to visit to check on the woman who would soon become their sister and to provide some distraction to their blood sibling. Despite their efforts, it was ultimately the presence of her nephew that softened her face from its steely mask.

Although the young boy had no concept of what was happening, he knew something was going on. Whether it was because he could feel the emotions in the room or because he understood more than people gave him credit for. Nonetheless, he provided the perfect distraction to the woman who looked like his father.

Suddenly, he was deposited into his father's lap and was about to protest the sudden move when movement from the bed opposite him caught his attention: A woman who had hair similar to his mother's had began to move and his aunt rushed to her side.

"Maura? Can you hear me?" Jane took the disoriented woman's hand in her own and brushed back a few locks of hair.

"Jay...where am I? What-what happened?" Maura squeezed her eyes shut as the remaining daylight seared her sensitive eyes. She took a moment to catalogue her injuries and feel for what was hurting. For now, her body just felt heavy, sore, and tired. She would worry about pain later.

"You're in Sanctuary with the Healers. They got you all fixed up."

"I made it?"

"You made it, Maura. You made it back in one piece and now you're gonna rest and get better so we can all celebrate, okay? But first, Susie needs to make sure that you don't have a concussion." Jane motioned to her brothers and a moment later, Frankie entered the little room with the young healer in tow.

"It's nice to see you awake, Maura. Do you think you can answer some questions?" Susie took note of the other woman's nonverbal responses. Maura nodded and the younger woman began firing off a volley of simple questions.

"Alright, what's your full name?"

"Maura Dorthea Isles."

"When is your birthday?"

"August 7, 1976"

"What are your parents' names?"

"My mother's name is Constance and my father's name is Arthur."

"Who's this?" Susie pointed at the man with brown eyes.

"Frankie."

"Very good, Maura. Last question and I promise I'll stop bothering you: Who's this?" Susie put her hand on Jane's shoulder and Maura's gaze locked onto the deep brown ones she had become so fond of.

"That's Jane...Jane?"

"Yeah, Maur?"

"Can I go home now?" The brunette looked to the asian woman and she nodded. Turning back to her partner, she helped the blonde sit up.

"We can go as soon as you're ready. Ma already made a bunch of your favorite foods and she's probably gonna feed you until you feel like a Thanksgiving turkey." Maura smiled and threw her legs over the side of the cot. She took a moment to sort herself out before taking Jane's proffered arm. She wobbled on her feet, unsteady, and Jane wasted no time in scooping the smaller woman into her arms once more. Sending a thankful nod to the healer, Jane left the cabin and headed in the direction of her house with her brothers at her flank. Along the way, people cheered and whistled, delighted that they would soon have someone else to join their ranks.

R&I

"Janie! Maura! You're home early! How are you feeling, honey? Do you need anything? Are you hungry? I can go warm up some food and bring it right over. I've got some tea if you're thirsty. It's an old recipe that helps with sore muscles." Jane settled Maura into one of the kitchen chairs upon request and shot her mother a glare. Before she could fire off a retort, the blonde made a request of her own.

"I would like to wash up before I do anything else. Some of your excellent cooking and that tea you mentioned would be very welcome...if you don't mind, of course." Angela gawked at her daughter's other half as if the woman had grown another head.

"Of course not! Janie, you go and take Maura down to wash up while I throw something together. I'll have everything ready for when you two get back." Jane gathered the necessary items Maura would need and threw them into a satchel before picking up the blonde woman once again. While she would never admit it aloud to anyone, Jane very much enjoyed having the blonde in her arms. Once Maura had the satchel secured in her arms, Jane began the short walk to the bath house.

The bath house wasn't really a house, per say, but a decent size alcove on the side of the cave wall where a stream of deviating water from the falls on the opposite end leaked in and provided the people with a source of clean water. Over time, the water was navigated by various miniature aqueducts and routed through different areas of the alcove to be able to be used by multiple people at once within the privacy of cordoned off stalls. Since the water was continuously flowing, the chances of bacteria and other microorganisms being present were far less than in some of the local stagnant lakes and ponds.

Gently lowering the woman's legs to the ground, the warrior hovered nearby as a precaution. Once she proved to be steady on her own two feet did Jane move a few steps away.

"Do you think you can manage by yourself or do you need help?" Maura took a moment to think before shaking her head.

"I might need help getting my arms out of my shirt. They're sore and lifting them too high pulls on my muscles." Maura's cheeks darkened with a blush. Jane just chuckled and motioned for Maura to turn around. Between the two of them, they managed to work one of Maura's arms from its sleeve, over her head, and the down the opposite arm. Jane took a glance over the doctor's bare back and memorized every dip, curve, freckle, and ripple of muscle; the flare of her hips curved into a slim waist then expanded once more around her ribcage before elongating to strong arms and shoulders. The warrior could make out the knobs of her spine and the arch of her ribs. While the blonde hadn't been out on her own for a long period of time, she had gone long enough without food for her body to begin consuming itself.

"Thank you, Jane. I should be able to take the bandages off myself." Nodding, the Cat turned and busied herself with laying out fresh clothes and clean bandages for her partner. Now that she was back, Jane was going to make sure that Maura was properly taken care of.

R&I

While the cool water had helped loosen the bandages, Maura took delicate care in removing the now soiled gauze. Over the course of time she had been out, her wounds had stopped bleeding but the gauze had stuck to her skin, proving to be a tad bit painful.

Sighing, Maura turned back under the water and peeled off the remaining wrappings and bunching them up, left them in a corner of her shower area to be picked up later. After being out in the open for so long with no way to properly clean herself, the blonde took her time and used most of the soap Jane had packed.

Over the years, Maura had found that the best times and places to think where when she was showering; no one bothered you and there was no noise outside of the sound of the running water. Before all of this had happened, she would easily spend a half an hour thinking about the upcoming work she needed to complete as she stood under the expensive shower heads while lathering exquisite smelling soaps into her hair and others onto her skin. Now, she had nothing but the soft wax soaps made by a few of the women in the village and she was fine with that. While the expensive stuff she had once found comfort in, she now thought of them as nothing more but fanciful desires. Here in Sanctuary, she had simple soaps that were made using local ingredients by people she saw and talked to every day. She didn't need anything special to be happy. As long a she had the basics, she was fine.

Her time out in the Middle had showed her that as long as she had clean water to drink, food to eat, clothes on her back, and a warm place to sleep, she didn't need anything else. Of course, Jane was the only exception. No matter where she went, Maura would always be in want of the tall brunette. Now that she was just one more step closer to having Jane all to herself for the rest of her natural life, the bond she had to the woman was quickly cementing itself, becoming entangled with Jane's own bond and settling into something she had never felt before.

As Maura Isles washed away the soap and the remnants of the last few days, she also washed away everything of what she was before. She washed away all the nuances and the perfections; the insecurities and the doubts. Now, all she needed was her knowledge of medicine and just the base foundations of who she truly was.

Her name is Maura.

She is a doctor (although one of the unconventional sort, now).

She is nearing the end of her twenty-eighth year on this planet.

She knows which foods she does and doesn't like and which ones are best for a variety of situations.

She knows that doing yoga in the morning helps her relax and prepares her for the day ahead.

She knows that while this new world she found herself in is beyond anything she could have ever imagined, she found herself fitting in almost seamlessly.

And the most important: If there is no Jane, then there is no Maura. Like yin and yang and the sun and the moon, Jane and Maura were inexplicably tied together. Just the mere notion that she was now bond to this ethereal woman for eternity scared her a little. Never in her life had she ever felt so strongly for someone that her body physically ached when Jane wasn't near.

Rinsing the last of the soap off, Maura called out to Jane.

"Jay? Can you hand me the towel, please?" She only had to wait a few seconds before the soft fabric appeared over the makeshift stall. The blonde patted herself down and rung out her hair before wrapping the now damp towel around her middle and stepping out. To her amusement, the other woman had clamped both hands over her eyes. The sound of her chuckle drew the Cat's attention.

"You decent over there, Maur? Let me know when I can see again." Keeping her eyes covered, Jane turned in the direction she had sensed Maura in. She could smell the soap and the essence that was purely Maura. She could hear the gentle rustling of the fabric as the blonde dressed. A gentle tug on her hands loosened them from their position and she drank in the sight in front of her:

Maura, hair dark and dripping, clothed in a pair of shorts that fell mid thigh and a thin blue button down shirt was the most beautiful sight Jane had ever seen.

Despite the fact that Maura had been back for a half a day now, Jane still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that the blonde was here to stay. She wasn't stumped, per se, but it was more of an amazed feeling. She no longer had to worry about being alone or keeping her walls up 24/7 because now she had a someone who could be told the deepest of secrets and would lock them away.

"What? Did I forget to wash off some soap?" Maura stepped back but was stopped by Jane's warm hand on hers.

"You're beautiful." Jane grinned at the blush that began to creep up on the smaller woman.

"Thank you. I've, uh, I've left the bandages off to let the wounds air dry before I wrap them up again. I might need your help later dressing the wounds on my back...if you don't mind, of course." Jane just smiled and helped Maura gather her things before heading back to Angela's home.

Along the way, people stopped to congratulate her and a few of the kids had even handed her flowers picked from the surrounding fields. Maura thanked them kindly and continued on with Jane. By the time they made it back to the little house, Angela had already prepared quite the feast. Just about every available surface was covered with something and the older woman was still throwing ingredients together. Frankie met his sisters gaze and merely shrugged. Nearby, Tommy struggled to keep his son from digging through a bowl of leafy greens.

"I think you've got enough food here to feed half the village, Ma. There's only five of us and the little half pint. We're not going to be able to eat all of this." Jane snooped around the bowls and platters and Maura couldn't help but smile.

"You don't gotta eat it all now, Janie. I didn't know what Maura would have liked so I figured that I would make a little of everything and whatever doesn't get eaten tonight we could eat tomorrow. Besides, Maura needs to get some weight back on those bones." Stepping in the placate a growingly frazzled Angela, the younger blonde interrupted.

"I'm sure I would have enjoyed anything you made, Angela and I thank you for making such a wonderful meal." The older woman beamed and shot a look at her daughter who merely raised an eyebrow in response. T.J. squealed and Jane realized that she still had introductions to make.

"Maura, this is my brother Tommy and his son T.J. Tommy, this is Maura." Smiling, Maura shook the younger mans hand and gave a gentle smile to the baby in his arms.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Ma's been talking almost nonstop about you for the last few days. I'm pretty sure you're her favorite kid now." He whispered the last part despite the fact that he knew his siblings would be able to hear him clearly. Frankie draped an arm over his brothers shoulder and nodded.

"Maura is definitely the favorite. Over the past few months, Jane has been far nicer than I've ever seen in my life. Sometimes I'm not sure that's even our Janie in there." Frankie barely had time to dodge the cup that was hurled in his direction when he found himself pinned to the ground and his sister kneeling above him. There was no malice or aggression in the stance but the younger man surrendered to his sisters annoyance and slight embarrassment.

"Are you two twelve? Janie, get off your brother and Frankie, quit teasing your sister and come help me." Standing and taking her nephew into her arms, Jane began cooing to the baby and bouncing him on her hip. Maura watched on with apt fascination.

"I'm happy that Jane found someone to keep her together. You've probably heard this from Ma already, but Jane really didn't have it easy when we were younger. Before our parents split, there was a time when things had gotten...tense...between the two of them and instead of doing something productive with my life like Janie or Frankie, I started looking for trouble. At first I felt like the whole world was out to get me. I broke stuff...damaged property...stole, but every time I got caught, Jane was right there to take my punishment. She was always there until one day she wasn't. When Ma and Pop split, I couldn't stand to be here anymore. I had alienated everyone so I figured a new start with a new life would make feel better. I left with Pop and instead of getting my life together, I became a drunk who felt like everyone had turned their backs." Tommy paused and watched his son playing with his aunt for a moment before continuing on.

"I got arrested for drunk driving and hitting a pedestrian. I spent three years of my life in jail and it made me realize that the only person responsible for me is me. When I got out, I helped Pop start his business and I went to weekly meetings. A few years later, I met Lydia and the moment I met her I knew that she was it for me. It wasn't the same kind of imprint that you and Jane have, but it's all the same, I guess. I can't imagine my life without him and I'm going to make sure that he doesn't turn out as screwed up as I am. 'Sides, he's got Jane to look out for him which pretty much makes him the safest kid on the planet." Maura laughed and couldn't help but mirror his wide smile.

"You're doing pretty good, Tommy; don't sell yourself short. T.J.'s lucky to have you for a father. If there's anyone in the world who's learned a thing or two about responsibility, it's you. Just keep doing what you're doing and T.J. will turn out to be a fine young man." Jane's compliment made her younger sibling blush and she slung an arm across his shoulders in a half hug. A moment later, Angela declared the food ready and the five of them crowded around the table.

R&I

Maura helped Angela clean up the dishes and store all the leftovers for later while Jane and her brothers talked about the upcoming ceremony. T.J. was content to sit on his uncle's lap and play with the figurine Jane had carved for him.

"So, Maura, you ready to join our motley crew?" Tommy asked and the blonde nodded.

"Very much so. For the first time in my life, I feel like I fit in somewhere and I want to spend the rest of my life here. Obviously, having Jane here is a big incentive, but I can get used to calling this place my home." Maura meant every word she said. Since the moment she woke up dazed and confused on Jane's single cot, she had felt an unexplainable pull to Sanctuary. Later on, she would come to realize that part of that pull was due to Jane and the bond they now shared, but there was still a part of her that couldn't quite put into words how or why this pull had such an effect on her.

"Well, a fine doctor such as you will be an amazing addition to our little "motley crew". I know for sure that the next time I get hurt, I'll come to you." Frankie joked and Jane made a gagging sound.

"You are such a kiss ass, you know that? Maura, just ignore him, that's what I do. Anyways, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Cavanaugh has agreed to let you pick and start a career the day after your ceremony if you choose. Usually, we have the new member wait a week or so to choose, but given the fact that you're coming in from the outside, you were a doctor before you came here, a-"

"And because you're bonded to his best warrior…" Jane glared at her brother and continued on.

"And because it seems you have made an impression on him, he's willing to bend the rules a little. Are you gonna stick with the Healers or have you been thinking about another career?" Maura's honeyed hair swayed with the shake of her head.

"I've been in medicine for most of my life. I'm not sure what I would do if I had to pick something else."

"Well, you're a genius, so maybe you could teach the younger kids? Ya know, you can always change careers. Many of the Warriors who get old or start families will switch to being a Watcher or a Hunter. We don't have much in the way of medical technology like the big cities do, but I'm sure there are things you could teach us from recent medical advances." Jane nodded along with Frankie's spoken thoughts.

"I love being a warrior, but I'm not going to stay a warrior forever. Maybe I'll go to being a Watcher, or a Hunter, or I may even just teach the recruits about fighting and defense like I do now. 'Sides, you don't have to decide right away." Jane's soft smile quelled the anxiety rising in Maura.

The five of them stayed a little longer until Tommy declared that he was going to put T.J. down for the night before turning in himself with Frankie claiming that he had to report to the training grounds early the next morning. Not wanting to be stuck with the full attention of her mother, Jane quickly excused herself and Maura for the night. Giving the older woman a tight hug, she allowed Maura to do the same before ushering the shorter woman out the door and into the darkness beyond.

Despite the fact that there were still a few people milling about and the Watchers were switching out for the night, Jane linked her hand with Maura's and kept them tightly entwined the entire walk to her own home. Neither woman said a word, but basked in the quiet contentment that flowed from the other.

When they made it to the door of the small house, Jane relinquished her hold of the blonde's hand and instead crossed her arms over her torso. Maura mirrored her position and folded her hands demurely in front of her.

"So…"

"So…"

"Are you going to go back to your mother's?" Jane shook her head and made a face.

"Nah. It's too crowded and I don't want to be interrogated by my mother. I made a deal with the twins and I'm taking over Xavier's patrol tonight so I'll be out and about until morning." Maura nodded and both women were silent once more, neither not knowing what to say. Finally, after a handful of minutes, the shorter woman spoke.

"Please be careful Jane. I know you can handle yourself and I trust you implicitly, but I don't trust everything that's out there." Her voice had softened and Jane took a half a step closer. Tucking a strand of hair behind Maura's ear, she let her hand come to rest of slim shoulders.

"I promise you I'll be careful and I promise you I'll do my best to stay out of trouble. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine." Jane squeezed her shoulders and rubbed her thumbs over smooth skin in hopes that the action would calm the smaller woman. Finally, the blonde acquiesced and nodded.

"Goodnight, Jane."

"Night, Maur."

Jane watched the woman who was quickly becoming the love of her life disappear into the house for the night. Once the soft glow of one of the lanterns could be seen through the curtains did Jane continue on.

Stepping into the shadows provided by the side of the house, the Warrior quickly shed her clothes and shifted before taking off into the night.

* * *

 **This is just a little filler chapter to serve as something between what happened in the last chapter and the Ceremony in the next chapter. After the next chapter, I have a few more ideas of what I want to do and where I want this story to go, but if any of you guys have and ideas you want to share or have anything you want to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**

 **-Until next time,**

 **SilentDaughter**


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter takes place about a week and a half after the last one and while I had planned on including the ceremony in this chapter, I've decided to just make this one another filler (a two part chapter, really) and then have the next chapter dedicated solely to the ceremony.**

 **This chapter may seem like it jumps all over the place and that there's no real coherent line of thought, but it's written this way on purpose. While it would have been nice to be able to go into far more detail, I figured I had made you lovely people wait for this chapter for far longer than you deserve. So, instead, I've written about a few important things that will affect how the rest of this story turns out. Of course, everything will be in due time, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. As one last thing, I think I'll start including the questions you guys ask along with my answer at the end of the chapters so that everyone is kinda on the same page (if you lovely people so wish).**

 _ **Italics**_ **are thoughts from Jane's symbiont.**

 **R &I**

Jane

The first few days after Maura got back were spent getting her healed and settled. By the second day of the new week, Cavanaugh had stopped by to talk to Maura about the next steps in the process of joining Sanctuary. Since she had already been witness to a few of the teen inclusion ceremonies, she had a rough idea of what was going to happen, but asked questions when she had them.

Now, we were seated at the little table in the house that was slowly becoming more and more Maura's.

I didn't mind it one bit.

"Okay, so, one of the last things you need to prepare is the paint." I pulled a little wooden bowl of clay chips and a cup of water between us. Even though she had her hands folded delicately in her lap, I could tell that she was itching to get started.

"You know about the painting and whatever symbolism is still holds, so all that's left is to show you how to make it. We'll start you off with something small to get you familiar with the process before the actual ceremony in a few days." Maura nodded and allowed her hands to come rest on the table top. Her hazel eyes met mine and I could see the barely restrained excitement shining through. Handing her a pestle, she set to work grinding the shavings into a fine dust.

"Many tribal societies use body painting for a variety of reasons. For example, Native American tribes used body paint to distinguish one people from another; often painting their homes, tools, weapons, and horses to show ownership. In Africa, the indigenous tribes used facial and body painting as a coming of age rite. Once the male has reached a certain age, he is painted and then taken to be circumcised to prove that he is ready to become a man within the tribe. While each tribe has its own reasons for the painting, most cases are representative of the wearer becoming one within the group." Not once did she look up from her task as she relayed information from a memory so perfect, one would think she were reading it directly from its source.

Maura continued to ramble on about the various purposes for body paint, but I was too busy studying her every feature to absorb the information.

In the days she had been home, her body had begun to replenish the nutrients it had lost and her body began to fill out once more. Maura was no longer sunken flesh and sharp edges, but supple skin and rounded curves; much like she was before. Of course, ma's near constant cooking had certainly helped. Her time in the sun had certainly helped, too. Her skin had gone from a pale white to a blushed pink before settling on an smooth tan. Even now, I find myself distracted by the littering of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks; by the ones that litter her shoulders and arms before trickling their way over delicate collarbones and trailing lower still.

"Jane, you haven't heard a thing I said, have you?" My eyes snapped up to hers and I couldn't help the embarrassment that began to swell. While her eyes did a fairly good job of hiding the annoyance, the twitch of amusement at her lips betrayed her.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Rites and painting with the Native Americans and the tribes in Africa." I sat forward as Maura pushed the bowl and pestle forward. She had effectively turned the clay flakes into a fine powder and had thoroughly mixed in the water. Now, it looked more like lumpy, grey mud than it did paint. Nodding my approval, I picked up the bowl and moved it to a sunny spot a few feet away.

"Now we wait for it to dry before starting all over again." Maura's voice was much closer than I had expected and the sudden nearness startled me. Her scent wafted through the air and embedded themselves in my nose and every fiber of my being became acutely aware of just how close she was.

"Ya know, Maur, if you ever change your mind, you should be a hunter with how damn quiet you are." She smirked and headed back to the table and picked up her shoulder bag from the chair. Slinging it over her shoulder, she came to stand before me once again.

"I promised your mother that I would meet her for lunch. You're welcome to join us—" she was broken off as a warning call pierced through the air. Instinctively, I pulled Maura closer to me and waited a beat before letting go of her waist and rushing around and closing all the windows. All of my senses went on high alert.

The door burst open and Frankie barreled through.

"He's back."

 **R &I**

From the time I left my home until I made it to the clearing, I had struggled against the prowling beast within. My symbiont fumed and raged from her place within our shared body at the fact that the murderous bastard was back. Not to mention that the addition of Maura into our lives had her far more on edge than usual.

"Chief!" Upon my call, Cavanaugh turned and I could see the anger that marred his usually cool blue eyes.

"What happened? Is he back?" Cavanaugh just shook his head and perched his hands on his hips.

"For now, no. Some of the patrol picked up on his scent on the outer boundaries, but nothing close to any of the houses or the farms." I mimicked his position and rubbed at my brow with my hand. Turning, I took in the number of hunters, watchers, and patrol present.

"I've set up extra shifts and added extra bodies to each patrol, watch, and party for the next little while. You included, Rizzoli. It's not ideal and this—this...bastard...couldn't have picked a worse time to be making an appearance. I know you were looking forward to helping Maura, but you might have to hand over more of the preparations to your mother." I huffed and paced around in a circle; agitation beginning to seep its way into my muscles.

"Out of all the times he could have picked to come back, he chooses now. Maura has been looking forward to the ceremony for so long and now I have to tell her that she'll have to finish the last of it without me. Great. Just great." I felt my body begin to hum with an all too familiar energy. My cat was agitated and rearing for a shift, for a change in control. I was ready to give in to her demands when a small hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Jane?" I would know that touch...that scent...that voice...anywhere. In my rush to meet the Chief, I had left Maura in my house with Frankie. I hadn't even stopped to consider Maura and now I felt like such an ass.

My cat quieted almost immediately and I could feel her pacing come to a halt. Turning, I met Maura's worried gaze.

"Jane, what's going on? Is someone hurt? Do I need to go grab my bag?" She had already turned to begin heading back to the house, but this time it was me reaching for a slender wrist. I pulled her back to me and stroked the inside of her wrist with my thumb.

"No one's hurt so you don't need your bag. How much did you just hear?" Her eyes became guilty and I pressed my thumb in a little more firmly. Her gaze dropped for a second before returning to mine.

"Just that something or someone is back and that you won't be able to help me with the last of the preparations." Her voice had gone soft in a way I hadn't heard before. It sounded soft in a way that sounded small and disappointed.

I nodded and sighed. I feel like I've been sighing a lot more frequently these days.

Sparing one last glance to Cavanaugh, I slipped my hand further down her wrist until it was entangled with her fingers and began leading her in the direction of our little alcove on the side of the cave. Along the way, Maura asked questions to try and figure out what was going on, but I gave nothing away. I wanted to get everything out in the open in whatever little privacy we had.

When we reached the little alcove, I guided her to sit on a rock outcrop and took a moment to gather my thoughts before sitting on the ground in front of her.

"About a year before you showed up, one of the allied communities had a member, a doctor, who had been found getting a little too close and comfortable with some poisonous plants. Within the span of about five years, this guy—a healer—had killed about a dozen people." I paused and Maura took the opportunity to ask a question of her own.

"What happened?"

"Well, when the Chief and the Elder Healers discovered what he had been doing, they branded him and then dumped him out in the Wild."

"Branded him?" I could see the flinch her body gave upon the thought of a hot brand being set to flesh.

"Yeah, branded. When someone does something severe enough, the Chief can brand the offender with the mark of the Lost—those who have lost their way in life and have no hope of ever getting it back. This guy is a crazy, Maura. I've heard stories from hunters and traders who come across his 'work' and even the most experienced members of the community have been sickened. Once you're branded, you can't ever join another community." It was quiet for awhile as Maura took in the information I had just dumped on her and processed it.

"What happens if he comes within the boundaries?"

"By law, if he comes within our boundary—or any other boundary—we have the right to kill him. Maura, this guy is a sadist. He gets off on torturing people and watching them suffer. I know it's not ideal and this really couldn't have come at a worse time, but I'll be damned if I let him get near you or anyone else here. I really am sorry that I won't be able to help out more, but I promise that I'll make it up to you." I scooted forward and wrapped an arm around her leg, my head coming to rest on her knee. Maura just smiled and smoothed back a lock of my hair.

"It's okay, I understand and I'm not mad at all. You are very much needed not only by me, but by the rest of Sanctuary as well. You are a protector and that is one of the most important jobs here. I will never fault you for that, Jane. Never. Besides, there's one particular ceremony that you absolutely must be present for." She smirked and I felt my heart beat faster.

"I wouldn't miss that for anything in the world."

"Good. Now let's go make sure your mother isn't having a coronary. I can hear her all the way up here." Maura stood and the action made me relinquish my hold on her legs. I stood and sure enough, I could hear my mother yelling my name down in the inner boundary. I guess I had made a face because now Maura was giggling and had taken my hand in her smaller one.

"She means well, Jane. You might not enjoy her tendency to hover, but she cares about you and your brothers very much." Our hands swung between us as we began the descent from our little alcove.

"Hopefully she decides to back off a little after our bonding ceremony. I love my mother, but sometimes I feel like I could wring her neck." It came out as a grumble and the blonde next to me just laughed in response. Within a few minutes, we reached the bottom of the cave wall and as I held my hand out to help Maura down, Ma suddenly came barreling around the corner.

"Jane! Jane, is it true? Is he back? I tried talking to Frankie, but he wouldn't say anything. You've gotta be careful now, Janie." Ma carried on and I focused on helping Maura navigate the final little drop onto solid ground. Once she was steady, I turned to face my mother.

"Yes, Ma, Hoyt's back and at this point in time, there's really nothing we can do except add more people to the patrols, watches, and parties; all of which Cavanaugh has already done. Look, I need you to help Maura with the last of the preparations for Thursday. I'm running extended patrol for the next little while and I won't be able to help her. Frankie's been given extra patrols too, so we might be ghosts for the next few days." My mother looked to my soon to be mate and nodded.

"Alright, I'll help Maura but you gotta promise that you'll take care of yourself out there, Janie. I almost lost you to that monster once and I'll be damned if I let him get to you again." Ma wrapped me in a tight hug and just this once, I conceded and returned the gesture. Giving one last tight squeeze, Ma stepped back and patted my cheek.

"I'm going to hold you to your promise, young lady. Now, enjoy the rest of your day with Maura because you have first watch tonight right after dinner. Love you girls!" My mother turned and began walking away, no doubt to go find Tommy and T.J. or to go and finish one of her projects. Turning back to the beautiful blonde beside me, I tugged on her hand once more.

"What do you say you finish helping me with the paint and then we just relax until you have to go on patrol? I'm sure T.J. is looking forward to having some quality time with his favorite aunt." Maura's voice sounded smooth and felt like warm honey. At this point, I was pretty sure I would do just about anything she asked. Smiling, I nodded my agreement and pulled her closer.

 **R &I**

The rest of the afternoon passed on uneventfully as Maura finished and perfected the process of making the clay paint and had easily caught on to the various methods of adding and changing its color.

Now we found ourselves seated on the ground outside of Ma's place with T.J. playing and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells around him. Maura was seated a few feet across from me and was currently enthralled in a game of construction and demolition with the boy; block towers built by the woman and then demolished with gleeful squeals by the baby. I couldn't help but smile as a particularly bright peal of laughter escaped from bow shaped lips.

"I think you've been replaced, Janie." Tommy plopped down next to me and stretched back on his arms while his legs splayed out in front of him.

"Nah, he's just found a new friend to play with. Besides, I can't really blame the kid." I hadn't averted my gaze, but I could practically hear Tommy roll his eyes.

"I think TJ has Maura wrapped around his finger just as much as Maura has him wrapped around hers. I mean, look at him...the two of them have been building and knocking down block towers for almost half an hour and he still having a blast. At home, it's almost always a struggle to keep TJ occupied with the same activity for more than five minutes." We were silent for a while when Tommy leaned forward. I turned my head to look at him and he had a small smile on his face.

"What?" When he said nothing, I asked again.

"I'm happy for you, Jane. I've only been back for a few days, but I can already see how much the two of you care for each other. I know Ma's pretty damn proud of you and I think if given the chance, Pop would be too." I wrapped my arm around his shoulders in a side hug and continued watching Maura and T.J.

After her first few days back, Maura had been hesitant to engage with TJ more than smiles and soft coos from across the table; admitting that she had had little interaction with children outside of the clinic she worked at. Now, she's just as smitten with the baby as he is with her. When we were all together after completing daily chores and duties, the child reaches for the blonde more often than anyone else, a fact that nobody seemed to mind.

Even as she smiles and laughs with the boy, I couldn't help the way my heart constricted. I hadn't really entertained the thought of kids of my own before I met Maura, but now that I had someone to spend the rest of my life with, the thought of having kids would remain just a thought. For reasons obvious enough, giving the blonde a child was something that was literally impossible; at least biologically.

Someone as smart and as beautiful and as kind as Maura deserves no less than the very best of everything and if having a child of her own is something that she wants, then I'd do anything to make it happen. Even if it meant leaving Sanctuary.

"Jane, come help me bring everything out for dinner. It's nice enough now to enjoy a meal without sweating all over it." Ma disappeared back into the house and I got up and followed her inside. Finding her in the attached kitchen, I picked up the heavy pot and the matching pan and brought them outside to the the little fire pit. Moments later, Ma called for Tommy.

"Are we camping out agan? I find it rather enjoyable eating out in the fresh air. It's even better when the temperature isn't so hot, either." Having set up the pot on its stand above the pit and the pan on the dead coals, I turned to find Maura standing an arms length away, TJ settled quite contentedly against her front.

"That's what Ma said. Dinner is more enjoyable when you're not sweating in it." Leaning over her shoulder, I peeked at my nephew. While his blue eyes were still open, they were fluttering closed as sleep began to take hold. Maura gently shifted the boy in her arms and got a grunt of protest in response. Lifting a hand, I ran the back of my finger over his cheek and received a gentle coo, this time as he finally surrendered to the land of sleep; his head cradled in the space where Maura's neck met shoulder.

"Give him a few minutes to settle and I'll bring him inside. Your arms have got to be close to falling off." I stepped back from both blondes. The older one merely shook her head, light curls bouncing with the action.

"It's alright, he's not that heavy. I'll bring him inside when dinner is ready."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Leaving Maura where she was, I went back into the house to help Ma and Tommy bring out whatever was needed to finish cooking dinner. Tonight, Ma had planned to make some kind of roast and potatoes.

"Hey Tommy, at some point you're gonna have to go get your son from Maura." I took the bowl Ma handed out and jammed it between my hip and my arm.

"He fall asleep?" I nodded. Tommy handed me another bowl before heading outside. He came back in moments later with TJ cradled in his arms and disappeared into one of the back bedrooms. Bringing the bowls back outside, I found that Maura had already started a fire and was arranging the cookware over the growing embers. Setting the bowls down, I began peeling the potatoes and throwing them into the pot suspended over the pit. Maura took the other bowl and began breaking some greens into smaller pieces.

We worked in a comfortable silence until both my mother and youngest brother returned with the former resuming control and preparations for the meal.

 **R &I**

Dinner being eaten and cleaned up, Maura and I took what remaining time we had left to soak up the company of the other before I had to start my patrol.

"Jane?"

"Maura?"

"What did your mother mean when she said that she almost lost you to Hoyt once?" her question was innocent enough, but I couldn't help the way my body tensed.

"A few weeks after Hoyt was banished, I was out hunting when he caught me by surprise. He pinned me down and dug his claws into my shoulders. He pressed down so hard that he broke my collarbone and scraped his claws against my shoulder blades. One of the best warriors of the time found me and fought Hoyt off. Korsak brought me back here and the rest is history." I had seen the way Maura had touched her shoulder and I knew the moment she realized that the same beast who had given her those crescent scars had also given me a pair of my own.

 _We match_

"I kind of know how that feels; being pinned down and coming up with scars. Although I've received a broken arm during my time here, I can't say that it compares to your collarbone." Maura smiled a little, but it was a halfhearted one. For a moment she glanced at my hands and looked like she had a question swirling around in her mind. I knew what she was thinking of, but when she shook her head, I racked my brain for something to say to divert this particular conversation.

"Oh! One of the upsides of being bonded to a shifter is that you'll begin to heal faster. Your senses will become sharper and your scent will even begin to change, too." Knowing how much Maura loved learning, I hoped this new information would help.

When her bright eyes met mine and her eyebrows rose up to meet her hairline, I know that it had worked.

"Really? That's fascinating...how does that work? I'm assuming that whatever enables you to shift will somehow eventually affect me." She waited for an answer and I took a moment to gather all that I knew.

"No one's a hundred percent sure exactly how it works, but we think it has something to do with the initial imprint and how the bond is formed. Some people have felt the change almost right away while others notice it after they...you know...with their imprint." Ignoring the teasing and slightly impish smirk Maura wore on her face, I continued on.

"Besides the faster healing, you'll be able to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things at a more heightened level. Your strength, speed, agility, and endurance may also get better. It can be a little overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it."

"And what about my scent? How does that change?" She shifted closer and the light of the fire danced across her features.

"Honestly?" Maura nodded.

"You'll begin to smell a little like me, but I'll also begin to smell like you. We'll keep our own individual scents, but ours combined will tell everyone else what we are. It makes connecting one person to another so much easier." Maura nodded, taking in the information and tilting her head in that adorable way of hers.

 _Adorable? You're going soft on me, human._

Ignoring my cat, I focused back on Maura, waiting for the question that I knew was bound to be asked.

"What do I smell like? I've been so used on basing what I smell like upon perfumes and scented soaps and lotions that I can't really say what I smell like naturally." Not needing to even think it over, I listed out all the things she smelled like.

"Honeysuckle...warm bread...oatmeal...Spring…"

"Spring? I smell like an entire season?"

"Well, yeah. I'm not sure how to describe it and Spring seemed like a good enough description." A retort was on the tip of her tongue when a shout of my name echoed through the fading light. Turning, I was greeted with the sight of Frankie. I stood and crossed my arms.

"Son of a—it's time for my patrol, isn't it?" When he nodded, I couldn't help but feel like stomping my feet.

"You've got South West, I've got South East, Noel has North East, and Isaac has North West. Watchers have been doubled and a few extra patrol have been added to the boundaries as back up. Chief's giving us ten minutes before we meet up and head out. Just thought I'd give you a heads up before I shifted and headed over." I nodded a thanks and he shot a smile to Maura before turning around and began leaving a trail of clothing in his wake. Once the last article hit the ground, instead of my somewhat goofy and annoying brother, his giant canine form trotted off towards Cavanaugh's place.

"Go. You don't want to make Cavanaugh mad by showing up late." Maura's voice was soft and light, but I could hear the reluctance in her words. Taking her hands in mine, I pulled her closer and moved my hands to her sides instead.

"Ten minutes won't hurt. He can deal with it." I could feel the vibrations of her chuckle against my palms, up my arms, and rattle around in my chest. Maura's hands smoothed across my shoulders.

"Maybe not, but the sooner you go and start your patrol, the sooner you can get back." How could I argue with that logic? Pulling Maura in even closer for a hug, I dropped my face into her curls and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. Her own arms were wrapped tightly around my middle and I could feel the way her hands bunched the back of my shirt.

"I'll come find you as soon as I'm done, okay?" I could feel her nod against my jaw and her breath on my neck.

"Okay. Now get going. I'll see you in the morning." She pulled back and giving her a parting smile, I followed the trail Frankie had left, our clothing acting as breadcrumbs as I shifted and melted into the growing darkness.

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v

For hours, Jane trolled along the boundary line she had been assigned to, looking for any sign of the man who had made it his life's mission to mock and torture the brunette.

In a moment of silence, Jane had retreated to higher ground and now found herself perched in a tree. Her front paws dangled over the side of the wide branch she was on and stretched her toes out, the pads on the bottom aching with the movement. When she had been telling Maura about Hoyt and that night in the forest, she hadn't been completely truthful. Not only had he broken her collarbone and just about shredded the skin on her shoulder blades, he had also pinned her hands to the forest floor with thin daggers. The result of that ordeal led to the twin scars on her hands and while she had the benefit of being able to heal at an accelerated rate, it had taken her weeks to be able to use her hands without them hurting and months more before she was able to even shift.

The first shift after Hoyt had attacked her was difficult and laden with pain. While her collarbone and back had healed nicely and no longer gave her problems, her hands had taken a considerable amount of time to even get to the point where holding a cup of water wasn't a struggle. Supporting her nearly 300 pound frame had been brutal and it wasn't until almost six months later that Jane was able to finally shift and not be overcome with the pain in her paws. A year down the road and her paws still sometimes ached and became stiff, especially right before it rained. Many nights she lay awake thinking about that night and how she wished Korsak had killed the evil bastard. No matter how much she wished it and how much she thought about it, ultimately, she didn't want Korsak carrying the guilt of having taken a life. A life that belonged to a sadistic, twisted, and nefarious man, but it was a life nonetheless.

Suddenly, the heavens opened up and a heavy rain fell through the trees and soaked down into the dirt. Within minutes, the midnight cat was soaked and a little annoyed. Huffing, she slunk her way down the tree and began her patrol once more.

Twice she met up with Frankie and Isaac; sharing any news that they had or reporting that all had been calm. While she wanted her family and her community to be safe, it was at times like this where she wanted something more to do. Jane loved her job and the people it helped, but there were times when she wanted to do nothing besides spend her time inside Sanctuary, not outside of it. Even though most of her isolation to the outer boundaries had been self induced, the recent weeks had solidified her previous desires. Feline agreed with Human, both admitting that the newfound change in behavior and aspiration had to do with the appearance of a certain blonde. Both beings had come to understand and accept the changes Maura had and was going to continue to bring into their lives, no longer wanting to spend countless hours doing exactly what they were doing now.

Even though her being out here was for a separate and more important reason, Jane figured that once the threat had passed, there would be younger and far more eager warriors willing to take her place and prove themselves as a capable guardian to their people.

Her cat agreed.

But where would that leave them? For the past ten years, being a warrior was the only thing that Jane and her symbiont had known. It felt weird just thinking about it and the thought of stopping made the felines whiskers twitch and her tail flick. Perhaps she could spend more of her time training the apprentice warriors, helping out the hunting parties, or even take over some of the Watch groups. Instead of patrolling outside of Sanctuary, she would be patrolling within its boundaries. That way, she would be closer to her Ma and to Maura.

In a few days' time, Maura would officially be part of Sanctuary and therefore able to officially be recognized as such. Along with being a recognized member, she and Maura would be able to be officially declared and seen as a bonded pair regardless of their status as a mated pair. For what it was worth, the Human—and by extension, her Feline—could have claimed the blonde immediately after Maura had returned from successfully completing her testing, but both ceremonies were something Maura very much looked forward to. So, Jane backed off and instead focused on getting Maura prepared for her inclusion. So far, the blonde had been making excellent progress, not that Jane expected any less of the doctor.

Jane huffed and made her final rounds. She had been so deep into her thoughts that she hadn't realized that the rain had stopped and the morning sunlight was beginning to peak over the trees. The ground beneath her paws was muddy and her midnight coat was speckled with the rich brown of the earth and was quickly drying. She certainly had some serious thinking to do and even more serious decisions to make, but for now, she would hand over her patrol to her replacement, wash off in the river, and then go find Maura.

Loping back towards the inner boundary, Jane flicked her tail in greeting to the people who were up and about so early in the morning. She found her replacement and after accepting the soft tug at her ear, she continued on to the river where she washed off the mud and followed that unexplainable pull in the direction of her mother's home. It was there that she found both women along with her brothers and nephew.

Frankie had yet to shift back to his two legged form and instead lay on the ground and playfully nipped at the boys feet, tail wagging when the youngster laughed. Hazel eyes spotted the cat first. Bright gold orbs met hers and held out a hand as the animal drew closer, smiling when a cold nose pushed against her palm.

"Hey, Jane, I was just telling your brother that I've got leftovers from breakfast if the two of you are hungry." Angela scratched her hand through Frankie's scruff and rolled her eyes as he shook out his coat. Jane chuffed at her mother in thanks and claimed a spot next to her partner; her large head taking up the entirety of Maura's lap. Even though Feline and Human inhabited the same consciousness, the cat was far more willing to show displays of affection with their imprint than the woman was.

Jane let out a deep rumbling breath and stretched out. The blonde ran a hand down the side of the cats muzzle to her shoulder and grinned when the beast on her lap began to purr.

"Why don't you eat some of the leftovers your mother saved for you and then we can relax for a little while. Maybe you can get a few hours of sleep?" Jostling her legs, Maura attempted to get the cat to move and was successful when Jane sat up. Now towering over the blonde, the cat nuzzled against the side of Maura's face and stuck her cold wet nose in the space behind her ear. Angela watched her daughter interact with her imprint and couldn't think of time when she had seen her moody and stubborn daughter this content. Normally so guarded about her feelings and affections, it was nice to be able to see her eldest so unguarded as she lavished the blonde with affection.

After a few moments, the doctor pushed the feline away.

"Go put some clothes on and get some food. I doubt you've eaten since dinner and you need to have something before you sleep, otherwise you are going to be twice as cranky when you wake up." Huffing, Jane meandered into the house and reappeared a few minutes later on two legs dressed in a pair of black khaki shorts and a green t-shirt. In one hand was a bowl of leftovers and in the other a few slices of pita. Retaking her seat next to her favorite woman, Jane began to eat and listened as the three other people chatted about their days and the upcoming ceremony.

"One more day, Maura. You ready?" Tommy asked as he wiped away a trail of slobber from his sons face. The blonde in question smiled and nodded.

"I don't think I've been more ready in my life."

 **R &I**

 **I've already started on the next chapter, so you can go right ahead and continue on after you've finished here. I'm kind of happy with how this turned out, but there are a lot of areas where I feel like I could improve. Instead, I'll just continue on and perhaps one day I'll go back and fix everything.**

 **The part where Maura is talking about the Native American and African tribes is true. Also, many tribes in Africa value the three P's: Protection, Provision, and Procreation. According to the laws of their tribes, a man must be able to do all three or else he is no longer seen as being a man (which is a big deal to them) and ridiculed.**

 **As always, thank you for reading and I'm always up for taking in suggestions for what you guys would like to see, so, don't be afraid to send me your suggestions.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	12. Chapter 12

**So finally, the day has come upon us for Maura to officially become part of Sanctuary. The previous chapter seemed to be too long, so I just took what I thought would fit better and brought it here where I added on and finally published.**

 **IMPORTANT A/N at end.**

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v

Over the next day and a half, Angela helped Maura with her final preparations for her inclusion into the community with Tommy helping out while T.J. napped. Jane helped out whenever she could between patrols and often made up for her lack of participation by brining Maura back little bouquets of wildflowers picked from the jungle or leaving behind little trinkets.

Now with only a few hours remaining until the ceremony, Maura had prepared for everything she could and was now left to wait. Cavanaugh had allowed Jane to remain off of that nights patrol to spend it with Maura so they could get started first thing in the morning.

"Maura?"

"Jane?"

"You're not going to sleep anymore, are you?" The blonde in question turned her gaze to the barely visible mass huddled under a blanket opposite to where she lay. The brunette's voice was laden with sleep and Maura felt bad that she was interrupting her slumber.

"I'm sorry. It's just...I'm excited for today and I can't sleep any longer. Go back to sleep, Jane. We have a few more hours until we absolutely have to get up." Jane hummed but sat up on the little cot anyways, blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Rubbing an eye with her fist, the brunette yawned and leaned back against the wall.

"Nah, it's alright. I've gone with less sleep before so don't worry about it. Besides, I can feel how excited you are from all the way over here." With her heightened sight, Jane could see that Maura was worrying the corner of her blanket with her fingers; pulling at loose threads and smoothing down others. She stood up and held out a hand to the blonde. "C'mon. The sun is going to be up in a little bit and I know the best place to watch it." Maura took the proffered hand without hesitation, allowing herself to be pulled from the warm cocoon of her bed and up the side of the cave to their little alcove. The warrior sat down and pulled the doctor down with her. Tucking Maura against her side, Jane wrapped the blanket around the pair of them and watched as the sky gradually brightened with the start of a new day.

"These last few mornings, I've felt like this is all a dream; that I'll wake up at home or in a hospital and find that none of this even happened. I would have never known you or this place existed or if you were even a living personal at all!" Maura was silent for a few moments, collecting her thoughts while Jane turned and watched the blonde with a quirked brow. "I suppose that if I were laying in a coma somewhere, I'd be happy not waking up. That way, I'd get to stay with you."

Jane's brow furrowed even more. "Maura, I promise you right here and right now that this is all real. Everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen...is all real. I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you if I have to. After today, you've got a lifetimes of memories and experiences to collect and I'll be right beside you through it all." Jane's steadfast vow lit a warmth inside her that the blonde had never felt before. Was this what true friendship felt like? What this—dare she say it—love felt like? Whatever this deep and gentle warmth meant, Maura was content to let it spread as she smiled and nestled herself more securely against the Warrior.

The pair sat in comfortable and warm silence as the sun's rays began to light the sky in a wash of light blues, chased by a halo of brilliant gold. Both women watched as the blazing star crested over the horizon and brought the start of a new day with it. Holding out her hand, Jane pulled Maura to her feet once more and led them both down to the inner boundary. People were already out and about, tending to chores and livestock ahead of the days festivities.

"There you two are! I've been looking for you for the past ten minutes. Maura, you've gotta get started on making the paint and Jane is gonna help me start getting ready for the feast later tonight." Leading the two women into her home, she sat Jane at the table and handed her bowls, various ingredients, and instructions as to what she wanted done. Maura sat across from Jane and began crushing the clay flakes and adding water and various pigments. Angela flitted between the two women and made sure that everything was going smoothly. Well, as smooth as possible by her standards. A short time later, Tommy emerged from one of the back bedrooms with his son perched on his hip.

The pair continued working as Tommy fed his son and then moved to help his mother while T.J. played with a few toys from his spot on the floor. Angela cooked a quick breakfast and everyone ate as they continued on their tasks for the day. By ten o'clock, Maura had finished making the required paints and Jane, Angela, and Tommy had finished preparing the foods they would be contributing to the feast. At some point, Frankie had appeared and dropped a wrapped parcel on the kitchen table.

"Clara told me to tell you that she'll be by later to make any last adjustments if you need her to." He relayed the message and snuck a few pieces of fruit from one of the nearby bowls. Angela began unwrapping the fabric and layed out the outfit contained within. It was a dress, rich brown in color with vibrant threading and beadwork along the bust and bottom hem. Maura ran a finger along the artwork sprawling the bottom hem and made a mental note to make something for the dressmaker in return.

"It's gorgeous…" Angela nodded and held the dress up to the younger woman.

"It looks like it'll fit, but we'll have Clara double check. Now, we've got a little more than an hour before the ceremony starts, so, Jane, go find Cavanaugh and see if there's anything else that needs to be done. Maura, you my dear, have to go wash up and then we'll see if Clara can come and make any adjustments. Frankie, go with your sister." Angela's orders were given and everyone moved to do as instructed. Before she followed her brother out the door, Jane gave the blonde a reassuring smile.

"I'll come find you when I'm done, okay." The blonde smiled and nodded before allowing herself to be pulled in the direction of the bath house by the Rizzoli matriarch. Jane, on the other hand, fell instep with her middle brother.

 **R &I**

Jane and Frankie made their way to the center of the innermost boundary and found Cavanaugh talking with a few of Sanctuary's elders. The siblings bowed their heads in respect and were granted permission to approach. The chief turned and greeted two of his best warriors with a raised brow.

"What are you two doing here? Your mother run you out?" He asked and Jane couldn't help the small grin that twitched at her lips.

"Nah, she took Maura to go wash up before Clara stops by to make any adjustments to her dress. Since we've done all that we could, Ma sent us to see if there's anything that we can do on this end while we wait." The older man studied the duo in front of him before delegating them to helping a few others gather suitable firewood for the bonfire.

While the three of them began collecting and arranging wood in the fire pit, across Sanctuary, Maura washed and clothed in the dress Clara had made. True to her word, the older woman had appeared and made any adjustments that needed to be made. Once she was satisfied with the made alterations, the weaver handed the dress back to the younger woman with instructions to put it on; they had taken longer than thought and were now down to the final stretch.

Jane and Frankie made it back to their mothers home just as Angela finished braiding Maura's hair, a ribbon made from the same material as her dress was woven throughout. When the blonde stood to gather all the paint, Jane could see silken strands of red, blue, green, and yellow running along deep brown and amidst gold locks. Mixing in a little extra water, Jane dipped her thumbs in the eggshell white paint and cupped Maura's face in her hands.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Extending her thumbs upwards, the brunette gently traced a path from the furrow of the blondes brow up and out in a slight arch. Dipping her thumbs once more, she followed the same pattern a little off the center of her forehead. Identical lines along the blondes cheekbones, nose, and down her lips to chin completed the first phase of the ceremonial painting. Quickly wiping her hands on the towel her mother offered, Jane remixed the contents of the bowl and turned to her beloved once more.

"I'm gonna try to go as quickly as I can, okay?" When Maura nodded, Jane gently coaxed Maura's head up so that the soft curves of her neck and shoulders were exposed. This time, Jane dipped her pointer and middle fingers in the bowl and connected the lines at Maura's chin to twin ones along her throat before branching off to trail over delicate collarbones. At the hollow of her throat, Jane painted another gently arched 'V' and continued on over strong shoulders. When the material of the other woman's dress prohibited access to paintable skin, the warrior crouched and began tracing soft loops, arches, and lines on the smooth skin of Maura's calves, knees, and up to mid thigh where, once again, the surface of paintable skin was blocked by the dress.

"We've got about fifteen minutes until Maura has to be with the Elders." Angela's voice carried through from outside where she sent Frankie and Tommy ahead with the food she and Jane had prepared earlier that morning while promising her youngest that T. be fine for the next short while. Daughter nodded to mother in acknowledgment and stood once more.

"Alright, Maur, almost done. Hold out your arms." Doing as instructed, Maura held her arms out to the side and watched as the brunette painted her arms. The paint itself was cool to the touch, but it was the feel of Jane's fingers on her skin that set her ablaze. Her skin prickled and her heart increased in speed as Jane worked her way up her arm; eyes focused and face relaxed as she finished her part of this journey.

Maura prayed that Jane was too focused on the task at hand that she couldn't tell how her touch was affecting her.

Finally, Jane stepped back and sent scrutinizing eyes over every inch of exposed skin. Seemingly satisfied with her work, she wiped off her hands and set the bowls of paints aside. Angela appeared a moment later with a cooing T.J. on her hip. She raked her eyes over the trails her daughter had painted and smiled.

"Well done, Janie. Now, we have to get moving. Clara, thank you for helping with the dress. If you need anything, let me know." She continued on with the shorter woman, leaving the two younger women standing in the little dining area. Brown eyes met hazel and they both chuckled at the fact that Angela had effectively left them behind. Grabbing the remaining bowl off of the table, Jane followed Maura from the house and down the path that would bring them to the innermost boundary.

At some point, the brunette noticed that the usually even and confident strides of her companion had become slower. Stopping and turning, Jane looked to Maura.

"Hey, you okay?" She watched as the blonde gave the slightest of shrugs.

"I'm fine, just nervous. And excited." The shorter woman's admission made sense. Although she had spent the last few months training and preparing for this exact moment, now that it was upon them, Maura was finally starting to realize the significance of it. Jane reached for Maura and enveloped a small hand in one of her larger ones.

"Believe me when I tell you that you'll be fine. Being nervous is a natural thing, but if it starts to get to be too much, just look at me and take a deep breath. Okay?" Her eyes studied the gentle features of Maura's face, taking in each and every expression that crossed delicate skin. Finally, the blonde smiled and nodded.

"Okay." Keeping Jane's hand in hers, she pulled the taller woman along down the path that would bring them to the moment they would finally be able to start moving forward, together.

 **R &I**

Angela was the first to spot the pair as they reached the clearing. T.J. was no longer perched on her hip and if she saw how tightly Maura had her hand linked with Jane's, she didn't say anything.

"The Chief and the Elders are ready for you, sweetheart." The older woman busied herself with tucking a few loose strands of hair behind Maura's ear and smoothing out the wrinkles that only she could see. Maura smiled and thanked her before giving Jane's hand one last squeeze and let go. As if given some great signal, everyone who had showed up for the ceremony parted and left a clear path straight to Chief Cavanaugh and the Elders.

"I'll be right be right behind you." Comforted at the Warrior's promise, Maura took a deep breath and began down the cleared path. The confident strut she walked with now belied the nervousness she had only a few minutes before. Once the blonde had made it a little more than half way down the part, the brunette followed after and looked for a spot at the front. Spotting her brothers, Jane made a beeline for them and sidled up next to Frankie while her mother claimed a spot next to Tommy and her grandson.

"Hey, how's Maura doing?" Frankie asked. Jane didn't take her eyes off of the blonde as she answered her brother. "She's okay. A little nervous, but excited." The younger man hummed in acknowledgement and turned his attention to the Chief.

"Today, we welcome a new member within our family. Upon her successful completion of our Test, Maura has agreed to take the words, laws, and traditions of our people as her own. It is rare for an outsider to be brought in our boundaries and it is even rarer still, for an outsider to become enthralled and agree to stay. Although, a certain Cat might have been a little persuasive." Cavanaugh smirked at Jane and the younger woman grinned. Turning back to the blonde and crowd in front of him, he continued on.

"We gather here now to show our support and unity in this moment. Not only is Maura vowing herself to the words, laws, and traditions of Sancturary, but to its people. One of our highest and most valued traits is that we look after one another; sometimes regardless of past or present feelings. Of course, certain circumstances may influence that, but we work together to ensure the continuation of our home now and for generations to come." The older man paused and focused solely on the shorter woman.

"Maura, do you vow to take the Laws and Traditions of Sancturary as your own? Do you vow to care for its people in any capacity you can just as they will do for you? Do you vow to care and provide for Sancturary so that she will always care and provide for us?" His bright blue eyes scanned her hazel ones, looking for any sign that she might not be sincere in her response.

"Yes. I vow to everything with all that I am." Her voice unwavering and her gaze strong, the Chief smiled and beckoned Jane over with an outstretched arm. Placing the remaining bowl of paint in his hand, she fell back in line with her brothers and watched as Cavanaugh pulled a small pouch from his waist and dumped its contents in the bowl. Mixing the paint with his finger, he held his hand out to Maura and added on to Jane's already precise painting. Once he was satisfied with the added markings, he set the bowl side and held his arms out to the side.

"It is my most sincere honor to welcome you, Maura Isles, to Sanctuary."

 **R &I**

 **A lot of you lovely people lit a fire under my ass and got me writing again. For that, thank you.**

 **I'm not sure if this will live up to expectation, but it's something I got out in about an hour between homework assignments. I have started college classes again, but this year, my schedule is much more flexible. So, for now, chapters will be a little shorter, between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Of course, there will be longer chapters if I find myself in a particularly steep groove. For now, however, I'm going to try to get a chapter out on Monday's seeing as my schedule is much shorter then than the rest of the week.**

 **Once last thing, please, please, please, start sending me any ideas or things you would like to see. I've got some great things planned for our two favorite women, but I need some filler chapters from now until then (one shots, if you will). I will try my absolute hardest to make it something great.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	13. Chapter 13

**As promised, it is Monday and here is the next chapter signed, sealed, and delivered right to your device. Ha, see what I did there? Anyways...moving on.**

 ** **A few of you guys have asked some really good questions and I have decided that I will be including any questions you guys have along with my answers at the end of the chapters. I know some of you guys might not have accounts which doesn't allow me to reply to you directly to answer your questions, so I'm also doing this for you guys to see that I've answered your questions (or tried to). Obviously, I won't be able to reply so directly to certain questions because there will be things coming up that I don't want to be spoiled.**** ** **I'm also going to post this right after I finish writing, so forgive me any spelling or punctuation mistakes I've made. Usually, I'll read what I've written in its entirety a few times, but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible.****

 **So, if you want any clarifications, be sure to read the ending A/N.**

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v

The moment Chief Cavanaugh had declared her membership, Maura turned and threw her arms around Jane. The brunette had been just as enthusiastic with her hug, tightening her arms around the smaller woman and lifted her up and into a spin. The moment she was back on her own two feet, she was pulled from Jane's embrace and into Angela's; the older woman's tight hug rivaling her daughters.

"Alright Ma, ease up a little and let Maura breathe." Frankie gently tugged on his mother's' arm and pulled the blonde into his own hug, with Tommy claiming one of his own soon after. The next half hour was filled with people congratulating Maura and welcoming her amongst their ranks. When the crowds finally began to taper off and everyone began heading home to complete their chores or jobs, the Elder Healer approached Maura and held out a small cloth pouch.

"This is just a little token to welcome you amongst the Healers." The old woman handed the little pouch over and watched as Maura pulled on the string and tipped the contents into her hand. The blonde gasped and brought her hand closer to her face, taking in the minute details of the emerald green cuff.

"Oh, it's so beautiful. The carvings are remarkable and the beading is outstanding. The craftsman did a brilliant job. Thank you, Elder. This is such a lovely gift and I will wear it with pride." Maura bowed her head to the old woman and the old woman placed a frail, papery hand on the blonde's head. Turning her head to Jane and Frankie, the Elder nodded her head in recognition before taking her leave.

"Well, now that you're officially a member of our dazzling little community, what do you want to do first?" Jane's smile was infectious and the blonde couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. Taking only a few seconds to think her decision over, she didn't hesitate with her response:

"Lunch?"

The ensuing laughter echoed throughout the caves sheltered walls, sending a flock of brightly colored birds flying into the afternoon light.

 **R &I**

Maura's p.o.v

Once we all arrived back at Angela's home, the older woman enlisted Frankie's help with gathering what was needed for lunch while Tommy, Jane, and I began getting the cooking pit prepared. Neither task took very long and soon thereafter, we were all sitting around the fire and biding our time until the meal was done. Jane sat next to me with T.J. in front of her, the both of them playing with various toys. Angela kept a watchful eye on the various pots and pans on the grate over the fire while Frankie and Tommy played a modified game soccer a little ways away.

"This morning was kind of exciting, wasn't it, handsome? I'll talk to your daddy and convince him to let you stay up a little while longer for the party tonight. You've gotta experience a real party before you leave. Your little mind is going to be blown." Jane's conversational cooing had her nephew smiling and cooing back at her

"You do know that he most likely understands very little of what you just said, Jane." She turned to look at me and that all too familiar gleam in her eyes told me that she preparing for a harmless argument. Hefting the boy into her lap, she continued to coo to him while aiming the words at me.

"He totally understands what I'm saying, don't you, TJ? You have got to because you're smiling and giggling, yes you are." Across from us, Angela rolled her eyes and returned to her knitting.

"While TJ is getting excited while you're talking to him, it's because of the manner in which you're talking to him. If you were to use the same tone of voice you use with me or your mother, he would probably become disinterested in what you were saying." Carefully holding the boy to her chest, Jane wiggled her bottom until she was facing me.

"This, young man, is your smart Aunt Maura. She's got an IQ of a million and three and knows the answer to everything. She's a fancy doctor who knows all the best ways to make scraped knees feel better and makes seeing the healers less scary and less of a pain in the behind." This time when Jane spoke, she had forgone the high pitch coo and kept her normal gravelly voice. All the same, TJ still gurgled, cooed, and laughed; a wide smirk began to cross Jane's face.

"See, Maur. He knows what's goin' on. TJ is the smartest baby, aren't ya, bud." This time, TJ pulled his fist in his mouth and launched himself in my direction. I easily caught him and held him up in my lap, his little legs pushing against my thighs.

"You are a very smart baby. Although I think we are all a little biased." I adjusted my grip to compensate for the added weight to one hand when his grubby little fist shot out and began kneading against my cheek, his sharp little nails digging in.

"He's pawing at your face paint. I think he approves of your work, Janie." Angela's voice carried over the sounds of crackling fire and the sizzle of meat in the pan. "How does my face paint look? I can see the ones on my arms and legs, but I can't see the ones on my face." Almost faster than I could comprehend, Jane was up, in the house, and back in all of five seconds. She reclaimed her spot next to me and held out the object she flew into her childhood home for. It was a small mirror. Seating TJ in the dip of of my lap, I gratefully took the proffered mirror and held it out in front of us.

While I had thought the designs on my visible skin to be outstanding in their delicate precision, the marks Jane had painted upon my face were exceptional. The lines smooth but precise while the arches were gentle and strong. The off-white color was a sharp contrast against my tanned skin and darker freckles. While I had been admiring my Warriors artwork, I had almost missed the dark mark nestled in the cradle made by the dips of the arches. I know Cavanaugh had added his own mark and while I had tried to follow the feeling of his finger on my skin, I hadn't been able to determine what it was.

A rich brown crescent contrasted nicely with the bright white. Jane's reflection appeared next to mine and I could smell the musk, spice, and something uniquely Jane. I watched as her eyes traced over the marks she made before settling on the one made by her-our-Chief.

"Cavanaugh doesn't usually goes for that one. He'll probably want to add to it later or some of the Council Elders will. Either way, you're gonna have a lot of scrubbing to do the next time you bathe." She caught TJ's attention in the mirror and threw a couple of funny faces in his direction, making the boy light up with bright peals of laughter.

"Usually? Does he switch between different symbols?" Jane shook her head and I caught a stronger whiff of her scent. "The crescent represents creation, growth, and thriving. Usually he chooses a symbol related to the work they did prior to their Inclusion ceremony, or, if they already know what they want to do, he'll use the symbol associated with that new career along with our universal symbol. Guess Chief Cavanaugh saw something special in you." She pulled another face at her nephew when she was suddenly knocked sideways. Before I could ask another question, both Tommy and Frankie had tackled her to the ground and were probably not going to let her up until she either got herself out, or she submitted. This time, Angela ended the tussle with a firm command and all three children complied with minimal grumbling. She began the final preparations on lunch while the siblings dusted themselves off and found places around the fire.

"You've gotten so mushy, Janie. The old Jane would have vomited at how sweet you're being." Tommy teased Jane as I relinquished his son back to him.

"Yeah, well the old Jane wouldn't have taken your crap and would have probably kicked your ass by now, little brother. But, the old Jane would probably have agreed with you." As if to further prove her point, Jane leaned over and pressed her lips to my cheek in a quick kiss. Although we had shared dozens of quick and innocent kisses these last few weeks, they always sent my skin alight and sent my heart into a frenzy. While her brothers continued on with their bantering and harmless jabs, Angela merely watched on with a content smile on her face.

This was my family now and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 **R &I**

 **I've gone back and found the the questions and answers. The way these are ordered are from the most current to the oldest and that is why some of the information in the answers might look familiar.**

 **Raz GoA:** Okay that was rather straightforward however all I could think about was what would happen if either Jane or Sean messed up with the lines... I kind of want to know how both of them learned those tasks, I assume Jane was taught by a parent, like the lines are generic but have some kind of meaning and are taught and explained to everyone at some point. Then there is the lines that were added by Sean during the ceremony, he sure as hell had to learn those from someone but who and when and what do they mean?

 **Answer:** The painting is symbolic in the way that the person getting painted is agreeing to become one within that group. In this case, Maura is becoming part of Sanctuary and taking on their traditions as her own.

Since Jane was her 'mentor' during a majority of the time before Maura was sent out to Test, she was the one who got to paint Maura. The markings aren't generic, but unique to each mentor. While Jane did learn some patterns from whomever mentored her, the uniqueness of her paintings are saying that she believes Maura is ready and fit to join her village. In future chapters, we'll see more painting being done that follows a stricter cultural influence rather than personal ones. As for Cavanaugh, as Chief he was taught the various paintings from the Chief before him that represent Sanctuary as a whole, rather than the markings of an individual (the ones Jane made).

Now what the ceremony is is complete, Maura is very relieved and elated to finally be part of something where she feels at home and complete.

In the upcoming chapters (especially the next one), I'll be going into more detail about the paintings and the likes from Maura's point of view.

 **MarCor3:** Once he was satisfied with the added markings, he set the bowl side and held his arms out to the side.

"It is my most sincere honor to welcome you, Maura Isles, to Sanctuary."

...

1st of all, what does that above statement means?!

\- Is Maura now bonded with Jane, through that bowl of paint?

\- Is it sex, that will totally bond them as one?!

\- Or both?

Good read of this Chapter, and so glad finally that Jane and Maura are bonded - for life!

So too, will Maura shape-shift as well or just have the abilities of animal instinct?

Also, thanks for informing us readers of your story updates - Rizzles all the way!

 **Answer:** -In regards to Cavanaugh's markings, just like Jane painted Maura at the beginning of the chapter, Cavanaugh added the marking that represents Sanctuary (kind of like the brown band that Maura wore while she was out on her Test). I had intended to include the meaning in this chapter, but I guess I got too carried away, so I'll be sure to include the symbolism in the next. Also, Maura is now officially part of Sanctuary (and thereby allowed to start her life with Jane).

-Jane and Maura are bonded through the Imprint from a few chapters back, but the paint is more of a decorative statement saying that Maura is taking on the culture of the people and Sanctuary itself. I had added the tidbit of tribes in Africa and the Native American tribes a chapter or two back which supports what I said above (except Maura can't be circumcised because she's a woman).

-As for the sex, once they have it, they'll be completely bonded. While the imprint started the bond, sex will cement it in its entirety and will bind them together for life.

-For a while, I toyed with the idea of making Maura able to shift too, but ultimately, I tossed that idea and came up with the idea of her senses and physical capabilities becoming enhanced because of Jane. Since it's going to be a little while before their bond is cemented, her senses and physical capabilities will enhance at a slower rate the longer she stays with Jane. Afterwards, her senses and capabilities will continue to get better, but at a a slightly faster rate. Along with that, Jane and Maura will be able to sense the others feelings and that "string" that connects them will continue to solidify. Not only will Maura's own instincts and everything else continue to grow, so will her own instincts to and with Jane.

 **Greye:** If this is a reclusive jungle village, how is it they speak, read, and write English? And when Jane compares the color of Maura's hair to wheat, how does she know what wheat is or would look like? Just a few things I wonder about!

 **Answer:** While they are in an isolated area, they do need to get supplies from the 'outside' that they might not have access to in their surrounding environment. In the chapter I'm working on now, Jane and a few of the training warriors are sent on a supply run while also returning the critical supplies to the outpost it was meant for. That way, they're able to pick up what they need while also staying up-to-date on the world's events. I've also given Jane a contact to the outside where she gets a lot of info and necessities from. Also, when people are joining the village due to an imprint or bond, that person is also bringing knowledge in with them. I'll go into much greater detail later on.

As for the wheat, during the winter season, temperatures in the Amazon range from about the low-mid 70's while the warmer days are in the 80's, so growing wheat would be ideal in those months. Again, Jane (and anyone else) would have been able to make the comparison on an excursion to any of the cities or towns while on a supply run.

 **This was just a little filler chapter before I do a short time jump, a handful weeks minimum and a two or three months at most.**

 **I'm not sure how many of you guys actually read my A/N's, and I hate begging, but I really need some suggestions or ideas of little one-shots I can do while I get the next few big things planned. I'm aiming for at least 20 chapters so I need a few of you guys to give me a hand and send some ideas my way.**

 **Or, review with a color and I'll see what I can pull out of my hat.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you next Monday (or maybe sooner, idk).**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	14. Chapter 14

**There's nothing rather pressing at the moment, so I'll just go on and get on with this chapter.**

 **Time jump of a few weeks.**

 **Thoughts from Jane's symbiont are in** _Italics_

 **R &I**

Jane's p.o.v

It's been a few weeks since Maura had officially joined Sanctuary and I couldn't have been anymore proud and in awe of her. She had thrown herself wholeheartedly into work with the Healers; helping where she could and taking on cases of her own. Just last week she had assisted in a particularly complicated labor that resulted in a beautifully healthy baby. When she wasn't on rotation with the Healers, she had taken to helping with some of the training with the teens, which is exactly where she probably was now.

I had just finished yet another night patrol and all I wanted right now was to see Maura and get some sleep. Food and everything else could wait until later and as I passed Ma's house, I made sure to tread extra lightly, least she recognize my footfalls and come barreling out.

I love my mother, don't get me wrong, but ever since Tommy went back home with TJ, she's been hovering and fretting more than usual. While I missed my brother and my nephew immensely, I was happy for them. Do I wish they lived here in Sanctuary? Of course, but I understood the need Tommy had to get himself and his family settled...even if it meant being a weeks worth of traveling away. Maybe one day Tommy would decide to move closer and the selfish part of me hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

As I loped through the outer boundaries, I followed that familiar pull in the direction of the house we used as a school. Even though we didn't have a formal education system set up, a few of the elders took to teaching the children about Sanctuary and its history as well as history from the outside world. Of course workbooks, textbooks, and normal books were brought in from the outside so that basic math, reading, writing, English, and science was something everyone could do and understand.

About a dozen excited squeals signaled my arrival to the schoolhouse. Since it was nearing evening, the older children had been dismissed for the day to help with chores and other duties while the young children remained behind until their parents or older siblings came for them.

Toddling children emerged from the schoolhouse; their little legs taking them as fast as they could. Alma, a little girl of about three, reached me first and flung her arms around my neck. Well, as much as she could considering my head is just about as big as she is.

"Jay! What doing here?" Her little voice was loud in my ear, but I couldn't help the happy rumble that echoed in my chest. I sniffed at her face in greeting and repeated the gesture with the other children who clamoured their way up and around my frame.

 _It seems our nap will have to wait a little while longer._

My cat seemed to be only slightly annoyed, but continued on with the rumbling and sniffing anyways. Like most other animals, she seemed to be able to tell how someone was fairing by their scent. Today, all the children smelled healthy and happy.

 _It is not just the cubs that are happy...our mate seems quite happy as well._

On any other day, I would have corrected my symbiont on the status of my...coupling...with Maura, but today, I was far too tired to even bother.

From beneath the pile of excited small people, I watched as Maura approached; arms crossed over her chest and a smirk pulling at her lips. Even though the winter season was fast approaching, she had elected to wear long cargo pants and a cotton short sleeve shirt.

"Alright, little ones, let Jane up. I'm sure she would be willing to play with you all if you weren't climbing on her." Elder Margaret coaxed the kids from their dogpile and they quickly went back to playing amongst themselves. Rolling over, I flicked my ears in thanks to the Elder and the older woman just smiled and gently nudged Maura in my direction.

"Go home and get some rest. The two of you have been working yourselves too much. You are going to need all the energy you can get in a few months time." With a wink, the old woman called the children in and left Maura and I standing outside, shocked.

Did she just say what I think she said?

 _Yes, she did._

A gentle tug at my ear brought my attention to the outside world, and more specifically, Maura.

"C'mon. You need to get something in your stomach and then you can nap until dinner." She began heading in the direction of our home and it was then that I realized that I would follow this woman to the ends of the world and back without hesitation. Of course, the view I currently had was worth following her anywhere, period.

 _She certainly has you wrapped around her fingers. Not that I can blame you. Even though we are separate consciousnesses, we share the same body and emotions...mostly. You do, however, have to get your mind out of the gutter and back onto the road._

More than a little embarrassed that my symbiant called me out on my internal musings of Maura's rear end, I was relieved that the heat that rushed through my face isn't visible.

While I had been living with this extra personality for the better part of almost twenty years, we were both treading into uncharted territory that was Maura and the relationship we had. No doubt there was going to be trying times between my cat and I, but the next months and hell, even years, were going to be spent redrawing boundaries and stepping on toes. We'd just have to take each day as it comes and learn as we go along.

 _No time like the present, eh Jane?_

These next few months were going to be trying indeed.

 **R &I**

There was something insistently pressing into my shoulder and it was quickly becoming annoying. I figured that if I ignored it enough, it would just go away and I could go back to sleep, but when the poking only increased in insistency, I gave up on trying to sleep and snapped my eyes open, ready to rip a new one into whoever the hell was successfully trying to wake me up.

I knew that I should secured the latch on the door.

"Ma, what the hell are you doing? I'm trying to sleep." Rubbing the bleariness from my eyes, I was able to make out the all too familiar shape of my mother leaning over the side of the bed. At my snap, she jerked back up and planted her hands on her hips.

"Well, sorry for waking you up for dinner, Miss. Grouchy Pants. Now, go get some food and bring some back for Maura. I swear the two of you are like peas in a pod; you get absorbed into something and you forget that anything else exists." Ma continued rambling on as she finally left, leaving the door cracked a few inches. She must had used the cooking pit near the house because I could smell the steaks she made.

The smell of the food stirred my legs into action, but when I tried to turn over and sit up, I realized that there was an additional weight across my back. Maura had fallen asleep and had curled herself against my side, her head laying across my back. Maneuvering carefully, I gently slid from the bed and used my arm to cushion the blondes head back to the pillow. Satisfied that she wasn't going to be woken up, I snuck from the house and sought out my mother.

I found her a short distance from the house, sorting food into various dishes and killing the fire down just a little. Hearing my footsteps, she looked up and gave me a small smile.

"Here you go, Janie. There's a steak for you and Maura and some salad because I know she's going to want some." As she handed me the bowls, the guilt began to build. There was no way I was going to be able to enjoy dinner with Maura until I got everything cleared with Ma.

Sitting down, I rested the still hot containers on the ground in front of me.

"Ma, listen, I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you earlier. I've been on night patrols for just about the entire week and I was relieved to just be able to lay down and sleep in an actual bed for more than a hour. I promise I'll be more careful and I won't take it out you." Ma just sat there and looked at me with a knowing look on her face.

"You were never able to hold your guilt in, even as a child. It was easy getting the truth from you when you and your brothers were up to something. I'm not going to lie and say that everything's fine, because it's not. I understand that you're stressed and overworked lately, but you shouldn't be talking to your mother like that. Now, go bring Maura the food and get some proper sleep." Mia's dismissal was final and as she turned back to the fire, I leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Love you, Ma."

"Love you too, sweetheart."

I scooped up the dishes and made my way back home, securing the latch behind me this time. It was relatively dark inside and after setting the food on the he small table, I lit a few of the lanterns and turned my attention to the blonde on the bed.

Maura has since moved over and was now curled around my pillow, her face buried against it. Despite her small stature, Maura loved to take up all the room that she could while she slept. Half of the time, she tried to get as close to me as she could and the other half of the time, she went full on starfish. Either way, I was pushed towards the edge of the mattress and left with little room, but at least she wasn't a blanket hog.

I perched myself on the edge of the bed and just took a moment to take the sleeping woman in.

Maura's hair reflected the gold light coming from the lanterns and looked several shades darker than it normally did. Her skin looked soft and blushed from the warmth of the blankets and her freckles had lessened in intensity with the lack of regular sunlight. Her long lashes rested on her cheeks and twitched as her eyes moved with her dreams.

While she was able to function perfectly well with a few hours of sleep, I hated that I had to wake her up, even if it was for food. Leaning over, I brushed a few strands of her hair from her face and smoothed my hand over her shoulder and down over her side.

"Maura? Maur, you gotta wake up." When that receive no reaction, I gently shook her shoulder and spoke louder.

"Maura, baby, Ma sent over dinner. I know you're tired, but you gotta eat." This time, her rosy lids opened and glorious green eyes met mine. She turned over a little and took a moment to wake up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes just like I had twenty minutes before. Finally, she sat up and stretched, a mighty yawn threatening to unhinge her jaw.

Many lunches and dinners were spent with Maura telling me that your jaw can't dislocate from yawning.

"What time is it?"

"A little after eight. You hungry? Ma made some steak for us and she even made sure to include a salad for you." Her smile was sleepy but beautiful nonetheless. Maura slid off of the bed and went into a full body stretch, the kind that made you even more tired afterwards.

"Mhm. What are the chances of you actually eating the salad with the steak?" Her voice was teasing, but she waited for an answer that was given many times before.

"About the same as Ma not being a helicopter." She rolled her eyes and spooned some of the salad into my plate, already knowing that I was going to eat it regardless. I sat down across from her and handed out a fork and a sharp knife.

"You're lucky I love you. There's no way anyone else would have gotten me to eat so many leaves." I had been too focused on sawing into the meat that I failed to see Maura's expression. It was only a few minutes later when I realized that I hadn't heard her cutting her food and looked up to make sure she was okay. The glassy glaze to her eyes had my stomach in my throat and my heart at my feet. Abandoning my food, I slid off my chair and kneeled next to Maura.

"Maura, what is it? What's wrong?" I grabbed her hands in mine and frowned when I felt how much they were shaking. Squeezing her hands tighter, I sat up straighter and tried to search her emerald depths for any hint of what could be making her cry.

"Honey, you gotta tell me what's wrong. If I've gotta go kick someone's ass, I'll go do it." She chuckled and pulled a hand back to wipe at her face.

"You love me?" Her voice was small but hopeful.

Wait...what?

When did I—

Oh…

 _Yes, oh._

I nodded. Now that I knew what was making her cry, it was easier to focus on my feelings for her rather than feeling like I had to go one on one with some asshat.

"Yeah, I do. I love you, Maura. More than I ever thought I would love another person. I look at you and you're all that I see; it's like the rest of the world just fades out into nothing. I like coming home now because I know that you'll be here. This house isn't empty anymore. Yeah, it's got some furniture and a few knickknacks, but you bring your own warmth to it and it feels good." I took a moment to gather my thoughts before plowing through. Who knew confessing your feelings would be this nerve wracking.

"I love you, Maura, and I love loving you. I want you with me always, whether it's here in this house or a different one or in some exotic city thousands of miles from here. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Maura." My proclamations of love now over, my heart beat fifty fold as I waited for an answer. If she wasn't ready, then she wasn't ready, but my nerves were already starting to get the best of me—

Oh!

Maura had shot from her chair and wound her arms around my neck as her lips sealed over mine. It took me a moment to register what was happening, but a second later, my body was alight as dazzling spark of electricity ricocheted along every nerve ending in my body before settling in my head; a pleasant dizziness washing over me.

When the need to breathe became too much, we pulled apart and took in deep, gasping breaths. Maura leaned back a little and I could see her face clearly. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen, and her eyes were dark. I,don't know where In the world that came from, but I could damn sure could get used to it.

"I don't know if you noticed, but at love you too, Jane." This time it was me pulling Maura into another electrifying kiss.

 **R &I**

 **It's not much but I thought it was short and sweet. The next chapter will go into more detail about this new development and perhaps a guest appearance from our favorite blue eyed menace.**

 **I know I missed last Monday's chapter, so this one will be for then and I'll try to get out a second chapter later on this week. I've also got a suggested chapter to get out, so you guys might get lucky and get three chapters this week. This chapter was written and published here via my iPad, so if there are any formatting issues, let me know and I'll get them fixed.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	15. Chapter 15

**A few people have asked some questions, so those questions with my answers will be at the ending A/N if you want to check it out. Also, feel free to send me questions if you have them.**

 **All mistakes are mine.**

 **Now on with the show.**

 **R &I**

Maura's p.o.v

It was an unusual feeling; being so completely and unquestionably in love with someone and having them reciprocate those same feelings back. Sure, I have loved people before; my parents, some people I worked with, a few close friends, and even a few of the people I dated. However, the love I felt for Jane far surpassed anything I have ever felt.

On one hand, it was nice knowing that I would love and be loved for the rest of my life, but on the other, I had doubts about how long our connection would last. Jane certainly didn't have the best of examples from her parents and my own aren't that much better either, so a little part of me worried about how long we would be able to endure as a couple.

In the days since Jane's inadvertent confession over dinner, she had been nothing but loving and supportive and strong. I know that some of the men and women she ran patrols with teased her, but she just laughed, brushed them off, and continued on. While Jane could get away with some teasing or sarcastic comments of her own with them, she couldn't employ the same tactic with her mother.

Angela on her own was an entirely separate challenge.

The older woman had been nothing but supportive of my imprint with her daughter and I will always be thankful for that, but there were times where I wanted to just be with Jane. As of late, Jane and I had been on opposing schedules; her running perimeter at night and me with my duties with the healers during the day. On the rare chances where we were able to meet up for a few hours between shifts or during slow periods, we were almost always spent in the company of the Rizzoli matriarch. Does wanting Jane all to myself make me selfish?

"Hey, Maura." The familiar voice snapped me from my thoughts and brought an instant smile to my face.

"Hello, Jane. What's up?" While it's wasn't uncommon for Jane to stop by and visit while she had a gap in between patrols or had a moment of free time, I knew that she was out training with a few of the more experienced warriors today. She crossed the room and came to lean against my table.

"Jonathan twisted his ankle pretty bad and we need you to come take a look at it. Please?" I stood and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

"Lead the way."

 **R &I**

It didn't take long to get to where Jane and Jonathan had been training, but upon reaching the area Jane had left him, we found it empty. She turned in a circle and then began to fan out, examining the surrounding foliage and trees for any sign of her fellow warrior.

"Where could he have gone? I swear I left him right here! I swear to God that if he left and tried to hobble back on his own…" She trailed off and angrily swatted at a low hanging branch. Her hade rose and rubbed at her brow in the way she does when she gets frustrated.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Maur. I'll make it up to you, promise." There was no way I could be upset with her. It wasn't her fault that Jonathan took off. Making my way to where she stood, I slipped my hand into hers.

"It's fine. Besides, this little adventure saved me from dying of boredom." A small smile crept across her face and her eyes softened. Her mouth opened in preparation of responding, but a sudden rustling in the bushes stole her attention. Jane's eyes were laser focused on the moving greenery; muscles tensed and ready for a fight. Whatever her mind was preparing for didn't add up to the sight of Jonathan limping out from behind the bushes. Next to me, Jane visibly relaxed and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Dude, where did you go? Didn't I tell you to stay here while I went to go get Maura?" The older man looked sheepish and spared a glance in my direction.

"I had to piss and didn't need you two catching me with my pants down." His voice was a little lower than Jane's and raspy in a way that came from years smoking. I let Jane's hand slip from mine and made my way towards the injured man. Sliding my bag over my shoulder, I began digging through it in search of some support wrapping.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, man. We've run patrol together for how many years, now? Not to mention that Maura is an actual doctor and has probably seem more junk than anyone else in Sanctuary." I was still busy looking for the wrap I could have sworn was in my bag, so when Johnathan spoke again, the meaning of what he said didn't register until it was too late.

"Yeah, that's what's gonna make this hard," wrap finally in hand, I looked up and met his dark gaze. Instead of pain or the light teasing that was in them moments ago, remorse and sadness now swam in their depths, "I'm sorry."

Before I could react, his hand was locked around my throat and his other around my waist, pinning me back against his front. Surprise gave way to fear and I looked for Jane. Her roar of fury was more to the left that what I had remembered it to be. Eyes dark and feral, Jane stalked closer and closer until another voice rang out through the small clearing.

"Tsk tsk, Jane. I thought you were better than this." As if she had been tossed into freezing waters, Jane froze and her eyes widened. Had we been in different circumstances, it would have been comical. Appearing from seemingly nowhere, an older man stepped from the shadows. From what I could tell, he was a little taller than Jane and despite the fact that the man continued to move closer to her, she remained rooted to the ground.

"You've grown soft, Jane. You're not paying attention to our little game, anymore. Perhaps there's a way I can get you to focus. And I see you've already done the hard part for me." The man shifted his focus from Jane to me. His blue gaze was cold enough to send a chill down my spine. His eyes trailed over my body and I fought against the wave of repulsion that made my muscles twitch. Blue Eyes looked back to Jane and a gnarled smile appeared. He leaned in closer to her.

"You've got yourself a real looker there, Janie. Maybe we'll have some fun with her first. Or, maybe I'll keep her for myself. What do you think?" That was enough to snap Jane from her trance. The snarl that ripped its way from her chest was like nothing I've ever heard. Her lips curled back over her teeth and her nose scrunched up with the ferocity of it.

"Touch her and I will kill you." The response only made the older man laugh; a cackle that would make the Wicked Witch of the West proud. He side stepped Jane again and focused on me once more. I could feel my heart beating harshly against my ribcage and I began to sweat. Jane followed his every move and for a split second, I caught her gaze and I could see the pure fear that reflected mine. When he was close enough, he took my bag and threw it across the clearing in Jane's direction.

"Now, who do we have here? What's your name, sweetheart?" His breath was foul as it swept across my face. Suddenly, I pulled back to that day a mere few months ago. This was the beast that had pinned me down in the mud during my Testing. This is the beast that had left needle point scars on my shoulders.

This is Charles Hoyt.

"Fuck you." Hoyt only laughed and then swept his hand out and made contact with my cheek. Tears involuntarily began to swell in my eyes and I could feel the heat begin to blossom across my face. Behind me, Jonathan tightened his grip once more and it became harder to breathe.

"You'll take care to watch yourself, missy. As I'm sure your girlfriend told you, I can be very creative when I want to and someone as talented and pretty as you shouldn't be put to waste. Now, Jane, if I remember correctly, we have some unfinished business to attend to."

"Don't you dare touch her again, you son of a bitch. You do and I'll end you where you stand." She was moment from shifting. Even at the distance we were, I could see the way her skin rippled and the way the energy poured off of her. At this point, the slightest thing would set her off. Hoyt continued to goad Jane as I focused my attention to the man who still had me locked in his grasp.

"Why are you doing this?" For a moment, I thought that he wasn't going to answer, but then his voice was hot against my hear.

"I didn't have a choice."

"Of course you did. Everyone has a choice." his fingers flexed against my throat.

"No I didn't! The bastard threatened my wife. He threatened my children! You don't deserve this, but I couldn't gamble with my family's lives." I watched as Hoyt moved closer to Jane and pulled a silver dagger from his waistband. I needed to get loose and I needed to get loose _now_.

"I understand why you're doing what you're doing, I do, I really do, but I can't let you gamble with my family's lives either. You can let me go right now and I'll look in the other direction." I watched as Jane and Hoyt circled one another; Hoyt with the silver blade and Jane with her teeth bared. Even though he was quiet, I could tell that he was weighing his options. His hands had become sweaty and lax around my throat and his muscles twitched in preparation to run.

"You can go right now. You can run until you get to another village or a town, whatever you want, but I need to help Jane."

"My family-"

"Your family will be fine. I promise that they will be looked after, now, what are you going to do?" Finally, my words had a response within the man because seconds later, his hands fell away and he took measured steps backward. A lone tear fell from brown lashes as he turned and disappeared. Jane was still circling with Hoyt and she had his full attention. There was a small chance that he had seen Johnathan let me go, but so far hadn't said or done anything so I took my chance and scaled a nearby tree. Thank whatever Gods are out there that Jane taught me the best ways to climb a tree.

Carefully slinking along one of the sturdier branches, I inched myself father and farther out until I was just above where the pair still circled. From here, I could the hissed insults and goading.

"Admit it Jane. What could you possibly offer her? You're gone most nights, running patrol around Sanctuary and leaving a certain blonde all by her lonesome in house out of the way from the main population." His words were startling. If he knew that Jane was out on night patrols and that the house we now shared was farther from most neighbors, then how much more did he know? How long had he been watching us? Had he been in the house while Jane and I were sleeping...while I was sleeping?

"Why are you so concerned with what I can offer Maura? Hmm? Is it because you know that you'll never be able to offer anyone anything? You'll never know the love that I feel for her or the happiness I feel waking next to her in the morning. You're just a sad, pathetic excuse of a man getting off on watching other people suffer, making yourself feel big while you're nothing more than an ant." Jane chuckled but it had an empty sound to it. She took a few steps closer to her Living Nightmare and I wanted to scream. Did she not see the shiny glint of the hilt of the blade in his hand? Now, she was nose to nose to with him.

"I'm not afraid of you. If anything, I feel sorry for you." the gentleness of her voice surprised me a bit. Not even five minutes ago she was snarling and shouting at him. Hoyt shook his head and leaned forward ever so slightly.

"I feel sorry for _Maura_."

Seconds after I dropped from my place in the tree, a shiny blade slashed through the air and found home in warm, tender flesh. On the drawback, crimson blood flowed and began to pool on the ground, taking the life force of the host with it.

"What have you done?"

 **R &I**

 **So...what the hell just happened?**

 **I think I'll leave this here for now and maybe go find a good hiding place.**

 **Thank you to all who review, follow, and favorite, it really does mean a lot to me.**

 _Q: sweetkid45: Hoyt does have to stir things up a maura's pregnant how?that would be the trick of the are both jane can grow a little friend to help with it would be interesting to fine out. it was an awesome chapter!_

 _A: I figured that enough time had gone past without some kind of appearance from Hoyt since we know that he's starting to patrol the outer boundaries and testing how close he can get._

 _As for the pregnancy, Maura is in fact, not pregnant and won't be able to since Jane is completely female. There's no "little friend" for Jane in that department._

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	16. Chapter 16

**You all know what today is and as promised, here's chapter 16. Something a little sweet and grounding (hopefully) to make up for last week.**

 **Q & A and general reponses down at the bottom.**

 **I own nothing and all mistakes are mine.**

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v

The pair look on as the dagger fell to the ground, the blood on the blade seeping into the grass below and staining innocent daisies red. Delicate hands fell to the side, shocked and horrified.

"What have you done?" Wide blue eyes stared into hazel ones, true fear beginning to seep in. Maura didn't answer as she watched the older man begin to fall to the ground, blood staining his shirt and sticking to his skin.

Everything was quiet. Birds stopped singing, bugs stopped chirping, and monkeys stopped chattering. Hoyt's hand flung out and clamped around Maura's in a desperate attempt to save himself.

"Didn't think you had it in ya. Taking a life when you swore to save them. Tell me, how does it feel? How did it feel when you plunged the knife through my skin? How does it feel to have my blood on your hands?" he coughed then, specks of bright red blood marring the pale blue of her shirt. Jane stepped in then, pulling Maura's hand free from his grasp.

"Let's go Maura. Leave him to die like the animal he is." the brunettes words were oddly soft and not the venomous and biting tone Maura would have expected. Jane ushered her along, Hoyts dying laughter echoing around the clearing as the pair broke into a run, desperate to get as far away as possible.

Neither woman made a sound the entire run back to Sanctuary. When they did make it to the outer boundaries, they stopped and took a moment to process what happened. Jane looked over to the blonde, brow creased in worry. Reaching over, she placed a hand on Maura's shoulder and rubbed her thumb along the smooth plane at the hollow of her throat.

"You okay?" the answer she got wasn't one she was quite expecting. The blonde spared her a sideways glance before suddenly pitching forward and vomiting.

"Oh, babe. Let it out...I've got ya." There wasn't much Jane could do for her doctor except to hold blonde locks back as another wave of sick dripped to the dirt. After another minute, Maura stood and swiped the back of her hand across her mouth, wiping away saliva and bile.

"I want to go home, Jane." The blondes voice was rough and scratchy from throwing up, but they could both hear how utterly _defeated_ she sounded.

Stabbing Hoyt had been completely unexpected and honestly, didn't realize what she had done until she felt his grip on her arm. As a doctor, she had sworn to do no harm, to perform at the best of her ability to save lives. However, mere minutes ago, she broke that vow and took a life instead. Granted, he was psychotic murderer, but it was still a life. What did that make her then? Was she a murderer now, too?

Even if Maura wasn't sure where she now stood on the murderer line, she does know that if it came to Jane or her family, she'd do it again in a heartbeat. That much she was sure of.

The pair of them had made it halfway through the middle boundaries and were mere minutes from being home when their names were shouted and swarmed by at least a dozen people. Leading the pack was none other than Angela Rizzoli.

"Jane! Maura! Are you two okay? Are you injured? What happened? Do you need to go see the healers?" The older woman immediately wrapped both girls in her arms and held on tight. Jane just squeezed her mother with one arm and wound the other protectively around Maura's waist.

"We're fine, Ma. Can you let us go now?" Angela gave one last tight squeeze before pulling back and really taking in the sight of the pair before her. Physically, they looked okay. There were no bruises, scratches, cuts or scrapes. There was blood on Maura's shirt, but there wasn't enough there for it to be her own blood which meant that there was someone else involved in whatever when on. However, just because the outside looked okay didn't mean that the inside was.

"I'm so happy that you two are alright. What the hell happened out there?" Jane pulled Maura in closer to her side and was about to reply when the crowd around them shrinked back and parted.

"Rizzoli! Isles! Council meeting. Now." As fast as he had appeared, Cavanaugh was gone and the crowd began to disperse. Even though roughly half of the population of Sanctuary were non-shifters, they still felt and understood the power an Alpha had over his pack and Chief Cavanaugh was no exception. Rarely was he this angry and no one wanted to get caught up in it. So, once enough of the people had cleared out, the duo made their way to the Council. Once there, they were greeted by all of the Elders, Chief Cavanaugh, and Frankie. The women were quiet when they entered, knowing that, out of respect, they weren't to speak until the Elders acknowledged them. It might seem a little archaic and backwards, but that's how it's always been.

The Elders were the oldest and most experienced members of Sanctuary. Each career had an Elder that that made sure that that career was running smoothly and that all the people were doing their job. The Warriors, Healers, Farmers, Hunters and Fisherman, Teachers, Crafters, and the Innocent each had their own Elder and those seven Elders made up the Council.

Cavanaugh looked at the women before him and sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Where did you leave him?" Gone was the anger from before and now all that left was relief. Blonde glanced at brunette and the former answered.

"In a little clearing about a mile and a half from here. Our scents should still be strong enough to follow." The Chief nodded and motioned to Frankie. The younger man only nodded before taking his leave, giving each woman a quick hug on his way past. Once he was gone and the door was closed, Cavanaugh gave the Elders the floor and moved a little ways to the side.

"Before we go forth, do either of you need any treatment? We see blood on your shirt, Healer." Elder Margaret asked. Just like with Angela, both women denied any medical attention.

"The blood is not mine, Healer, but thank you for asking." Maura pulled the ruined shirt away from her body, untucking it from the waistband of her pants in the process. The older woman nodded and flicked her hand to Pallas, the Elder Warrior.

"We'll keep this short so you can go and sort yourselves out. Twenty minutes ago, Jonathan came barreling into the Warriors barracks apologizing and practically sobbing. When we got him to calm down, he claimed that Charles Hoyt threatened his family if he didn't do as told. Can either of you confirm any such claims?" His amber eyes flicked between the imprinted pair before him. The shorter woman subconsciously moved towards the taller one, seeking the comfort and strong support she gave off.

"Jonathan confessed as much while he had me in a choke hold. I told him that if he let me go and run, his family would be looked after in his absence since they were innocent in all of this . He hesitated for a moment before he let me go and ran into the jungle. I thought maybe he would run to one of the other communities or a city." Maura went quiet then, watching as the man nodded thoughtfully.

"Do you harbor any ill will towards the man?"

"No. Even though what he was doing was meant to hurt Jane and I, I cannot fault him for trying to protect his family. He went about the wrong way of doing it, but I know that I would do anything for Jane and her family." Pallas gave a tight smile before turning his focus to Jane.

"And you. Do you harbor any ill will towards Jonathan." Jane took longer to respond than Maura did, battling with her feelings between the Human her and the Animal her.

"The part of me that's imprinted with Maura wants to say yes because he threatened and hurt her, but ultimately, I can't blame him for what he did. A deranged psycho threatened his mate and their cubs. If I were in his place and my family was being threatened...well, I'm not sure what I would do or the lengths I would go to make sure they were safe." she paused and added as an afterthought, "I'm not sure I want to find out, either."

"Since you both have vouched for Jonathan, no serious punishment will be given. For now, you two go get yourselves cleaned up and settled. Tomorrow we'll come together and figure out a reasonable and suitable punishment. Until then, he will remain under watch in the Warriors Barracks. Do either of you have anything else to say or ask?" Pallus' gaze flicked from the brunette to the blonde, waiting to see if either spoke up. His eyes landed on the brunette as she took a step forward.

"May I talk to him? I know why he did what he did, but I need to hear it from him." Jane waited as the Elders conferred with one another in a silent language only they seemed to know. Six almost imperceptible nods were given to the Elder Warrior and his amber eyes fell to deep brown ones.

"You may talk with him. I'll let Leo know to be expecting you. You both ay leave now. We have some matters to discuss with the Chief and you two need some time to clean up and process todays...excitement. The hearing will be an hour before breakfast." Jane and Maura nodded in respect before taking their leave, and Cavanaugh gave them his own nod. He'd more than likely would be stopping by at some point later on in the day.

Once outside, the Warrior and the Healer were again wrapped in a tight hug, this time given by Frankie.

"I"m happy you two are okay. Jonathan came in and told us what was happening. I wanted so badly to go find you but the Chief gave me a direct order not to. I've never broken a direct order before and I was so close to doing it today. Man, I've never been so happy to see your ugly mug, Janie." This time, Frankie threw his arms fully around his sister and placed an obnoxiously noisy kiss on her cheek, the action making the blonde chuckle.

"Ew! Alright, alright, get off of me. I'm happy to see your ugly mug, too. Hey, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, anything."

"I need you to keep Ma busy for a little bit. Maura and I need to wash up and probably burn our clothes." Jane studied her brother as he nodded.

"Okay. How long do you two need?"

"An hour."

"Done." Jane smiled at him in thanks and began to lead Maura to the bath house. These next few days were going to be rough.

 **R &I**

After they were cleaned and their clothes were tossed into the fire pit, Jane and Maura lay close together in bed. Their noses were mere inches apart and they took that closeness to take in every minute detail of the other. Jane noticed, not for the first time, that while Maura's eyes were indeed hazel, they were more brown towards the top and green at the bottom while the middle was a perfect blend. Her freckles were more noticable across her nose and cheeks and the ones across her forehead and shoulders were beginning to fade. Maura noticed that if she looked deep enough, she swore she could make out tiny flecks and ribbons of gold in Jane's coffee eyes. Even though she was in complete control of her shift, her Cat was never too far below the surface. Or, perhaps Jane was just borrowing some enhanced eyesight to see her better in their rapidly darkening home.

"I don't think I've ever been as sacred as I was today in my entire life. Seeing you with Jonathan and knowing that your life was in the hands of a lunatic scared the shit out of me." Jane's voice was soft and hushed; any softer and Maura would have struggled to hear her despite their close proximity.

"Me too, Jane. I saw the blade in his waistband and I wanted so badly to yell out, but had I done so, Hoyt could have hurt you to punish me." Jane's eyes grew glassy and Maura scooted closer.

"I honestly don't know what I'd do without you, Maur. Everything feels right when I'm with you and you make me feel whole...like you've filled some part of me that's been missing my whole life. I can't lose you, Maura. I can't." Maura pulled Jane into an embrace of her own, nuzzling her nose into the mess of dark curls as Jane buried her own nose into the hollow of her throat.

"I can't lose you either, Jane. Until I met you, I didn't know what genuine love felt like. My parents had their own way of loving me and the few people I had relationships with loved me for different reasons and in different ways, but you love me for me. You don't expect me to earn high marks in school or to be the cream of the crop at social gatherings so you can show me off like some trophy. You let me be me without any expectations. The imprint may have influenced you a little bit, but you decided to accept the imprint for whatever reason and for that, I will always be grateful. I love you so much, Jane." The fierce warrior withdrew from the hollow of Maura's throat and planted a tender kiss on petal soft lips instead.

"I love you too, Maura. More than anything."

 **R &I**

For a long while, the pair lay in silence and reveled in the comfort the other brought. It was a little before dinner when Jane suddenly sat up and dislodged Maura from her spot on her shoulder. She mumbled a hurried apology as she dug through one of her drawers and yelling in victory when she found what she was looking for. Skipping back over to the bed, she sat back down on her side and crossed her legs. Maura studied her with a curious eye and fought back the multitude of questions brewing in her mind. Instead, she settled for one.

"What's got you so excited?" She sat up and mirrored her warriors position, legs crossed and hands folded in her lap. Jane wilted a bit under her focused gaze and her cheeks began to darken.

"I was planning to give this to you today, but then the...thing...happened and I wasn't sure if it would be the right time to give it to you. Then laying here I thought that I can't let Hoyt control my life, so I've decided to give this to you now." Upon concluding her little speech, Jane held out a scarred hand and unfurled her fingers from around a little box. Maura's mind immediately went in one specific direction and fought to hold it back least this road take her somewhere else. She must have been staring at the box for a moment too long because Jane braced an elbow on her thigh and leaned forward, hand with the box outstretched even more. At the encouraging nod, she took into her own hand and ran a finger over the cool smooth texture of the wooden lid.

"You can open it, ya know. I promise there's no bugs in it...this time." Jane's slight distraction was enough to give Maura the courage she needed to lip open the lid and reveal the silver ring nestled within. Her free hand covered her mouth as her mind processed what her eyes were seeing. Jane just watched on and waited.

"Oh, Jane. It's beautiful." Taking the sentiment as a positive reaction, the taller woman gently took the box from gentle hands and fished the ring from it's nest of ribbon and held it out for the blonde to study.

"I've kinda been lying to you the last week and a half." Her cheeks reddened even more and Maura raised a brow.

"Have you now?"

"I told you that I had to run night patrols but I've been spending the few hours before and after patrols with Adam in the forge making the ring. He taught me how to smelt the metal down, shape it, and lay the little stone between the bands. I owe the guy big time." Maura took the ring and brought it closer to her face, taking in all the little details and imperfections.

The ring itself was constructed from two woven bands wrapped around three small aquamarine gemstones. To Maura, the ring was absolutely perfect. Not too small and thin where she would worry about damaging it and not too big or bulky where it would get in the way of her work.

"We might not do things in here the way you would in the rest of the world, but I thought you might like something familiar. You've been so amazing in adapting into my lifestyle and culture that I kind of neglected to adapt myself to your lifestyle and culture. We might not have some of the fancy stuff you're used to, but I figured a ring was simple enough to come by-" Jane was cut off by the small woman launching herself forward, sealing their lips together in a deep kiss.

"Jane, you could take one of my shirts, sew a little flower on the pocket, give it back, and I would still think it was the greatest thing in the world because you took the time and effort to make something for me. I don't care about the life I left behind. I miss my parents and I feel bad that they had to bury an empty coffin, but I love you and I love the life we're building together. Even though I've been here for a little over half a year, I'm still learning new things about you and your people, and all the history and culture that comes with. So, are you going to put the ring on my finger or is it just going to stay in its box?" The past few moments of Maura's heartfelt speech had left Jane a little dazed and even more head over heels in love with the woman before her. She took the ring from Maura and grasped her smaller left hand in her larger one.

Sliding the ring home on the fourth finger of Maura's left hand brought a couple of new feelings to Jane and made a few other ones even stronger. The most noticeable and strongest was the possessiveness. The blonde was in no way a possession to be hoarded, but Maura belonged to her in the sense that she belonged to the blonde. There would be no one else for either of them and for as long as they loved, they would have the unconditional love, support, and protection of the other.

And so far, both Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli were okay with that.

 **R &I**

 **Lashawn** _:_ This cliff hanger is killing me. I feel like Maura is the one who got hurt trying to protect Jane. If she did get hurt then that will be a nice change of pace from the normal narrative. I really believe Maura could be Jane's protector also, however, most writers always make her the damsel in distress.

 **Response** _:_ It can be tiring having Jane always be the knight in shining armor and Maura the damsel in distress. I've read many other stories where those roles are reversed and I tried my best to do the same. However, I feel like I was more even when it came to the emotional part of this whole ordeal. It may seem like Maura is being more open and 'vulnerable' in a few different parts, but I tried to stick with someone of Jane's characteristics from the show. Her being more reserved with her emotions is one of them.

 **MarCor3:** So...what the hell just happened?...

...

...

You're right indeed, what 180 turn just happened here?!

Well anyway, finally Hoyt is making an appearance to Jane...and Maura too once again, but I'm hoping this is his last show!

Oh and btw, I think that Maura just sliced the hell out of Hoyt - why did I have that intuition that our Maura would be the one to kill him instead of Jane, hm?!

 **Response:** Yeah… to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what was going on either and I wrote the chapter. It was easy for me to have Maura be the one to step up and face a demon. On the other hand, it was a little difficult for me to accurately convey how her actions would affect who she is as a person. We've seen her on the show and she steadfastly believes in doing no harm. She's still got a few more things to sort out, but we'll get our Maura back to normal in a chapter or two.

P.S. we don't know if Hoyt actually died. The dynamic duo booked it out of there as he was laughing, but there was something that was left behind that may or may not help him out. We'll just have to see where the story takes us. :)

 **Raz GoA:** What's interesting about this chapter is actually the fact that (what was his name... oh yeah) Jonathan would betray his friend and then run away to who knows where... if he ran off and left Sanctuary then that's rather low... if he didn't than I expect Jane to punch him in the face for both what he did to help Hoyt and then not helping them when he changed his mind.

I'm sure this won't happen but I'm kind of curious how Jane would be if she was thrown into a situation involving Maura's parents. I'm also wondering if it's possible Maura's bloodline actually did have some shifter blood in it. I mean Tommy is normal despite the fact that his siblings can shift... what if Maura was a carrier too and like Tommy can't shift?! Also I don't see why the two couldn't have kids, granted not in the way sk45 was thinking but modern science is constantly evolving and even now people use donors to help out on this.

I would love to see Jane and Frankie manage to start a village wide competition by getting into a "Anything you can do, I can do better!" Kind of bet.

 **Response:** I've actually got a few things planned in the remaining chapters of this installment and the next one. Without giving too much away, one or both or Maura's parents will eventually be making an appearance and it may or may not cause some trouble with Sanctuary. I did debate on whether or not to make Maura a shifter or not and ultimately scrapped the idea. However, I did not think about her being a carrier for the Shifting trait, so thank you for giving me the idea. **If enough of you lovely people would like me to include that in later chapters, let me know.** At this point, it's been half a year since the plane went down and even though it's going to be a little while longer before they discuss children (which they well, I promise), it would be kind of risky going to a large city with the available resources for artificial insemination. They also would have to somehow pay for the treatments considering they can be very pricy and if they were to use Maura's money, someone would get an alert about the account being used when she's presumed to be dead. And as for Jonathan, he may have come back and tried to help and make things right, Jane still has the open invitation to talk with him, so we'll have to see where that goes. I do give him credit for trying to correct his wrong doings, though.

I'll have to get on some scheming with Jane, Frankie, and some of the kids about who can do what better. Thank you for the suggestion!

 **Guest:** I don't know how it took me so long to find this story, but i' m glad I found it.

 **Response:** You're here now and that's all that matters. I am very glad that you've found your way to this little piece of dramatic heaven. Sit, relax, mingle with some of the other readers, and I hope you enjoy the show.

 **Quick A/N: Innocents refers to infants and children. Most of the children in Sanctuary have at least one parent to care for them and up until they are a certain age, they either go to school or their version of daycare. There are, however, a handful or orphans that are looked after by a different speciality of Healer (if that makes sense?), some of the older women in the village, or by the teens who want a career in teaching.**

 **Thank you to all you lovely and amazing people who reviewed, liked, or favorited me and/or this story. It really does mean a lot to me to know that you guys are enjoying my writing.**

 **I'm always open for suggestions and ideas so don't hesitate to ask (I've now started a document for all the suggestions and ideas you guys have to fill in the spaces where I don't want to rush the story).**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	17. Chapter 17

**For My Best Friend**

 **R &I**

Jane's p.o.v

"Why'd you do it?"

Even though I wanted nothing more to be curled up with Maura in our house, I needed to get some answers from Jonathan. The sky was still dark and it couldn't have been anymore than four or five in the morning, but the Council would be gathering in a few short hours and I wanted to make sure I got all the time I needed.

Jonathan looked up at me from where he was sat curled up on the floor. In the little light peeking through the windows and the dim lanterns nearby, it was obvious that he had been worked over a little. His lip was split and crusted in dry blood and he had a bruise forming on his temple. There was no telling of the bruises on skin that wasn't visible.

"Just like I told the doc, I didn't have a choice, Jane. It's not much, but it's the truth." Grabbing a chair, I sat and leaned forward on my knees.

"You could have gone to the Chief or come to me and I would have helped you. There were plenty of other things you could have done, Jon." Suddenly, he began to chuckle and shook his head.

"You don't get it. That bastard had clothing that belonged to my sons. He had the shirts they had just worn. I don't know how the fuck he got them, but he did and he made it very clear what he would do if I didn't help. I couldn't take that chance and I really am sorry." In that moment he looked smaller than I knew he was. His shoulders had shrunken in and he curled his knees up even tighter. We were quiet for a few moments.

"You know that we would have done anything to protect your boys. Hell, I would have personally camped out in your living room to make sure that they were safe. I'm not gonna lie and say that what you did doesn't hurt because it does. Watching you with Maura in a stranglehold angered me more than anything else in my life and I wanted nothing more than to rip your arms off. Honestly, I still do, but despite what you did, your family needs you." He was quiet for a long while, just staring at my hands with an unblinking gaze.

"Do you remember the time when that Crowe kid kept picking on Tommy? We got into so much trouble that day." I don't know where the sudden trip down memory lane came from, but I couldn't help but smile a little at the memory.

"Yeah. You held him down while I beat him up. I got grounded for a month and had to help the Old Lady clean up after the cows the entire time, too. The punishment was worth it even though Crowe makes it his mission to be a dick to me whenever he visits, now."

"My mother was pissed but my father was actually proud of me. He said that he was proud that I stuck up for what was right, but I probably could have gone about it the right way. Eight year old us were quite badass, weren't they?" I nodded but a heavy feeling began to settle into my chest. What had happened this man in the twenty years since that happened? He was always a little hot headed when it came to his friends and family, but he was one of the most loyal people I had ever known. All throughout childhood and even when we began training as warriors, we were practically glued to the hip. Our mothers were convinced that we would end up imprinting on one another at some point, but when he imprinted on his mate, Avi, we still remained close friends. I guess it's because of our almost lifelong friendship that makes it difficult for me to wrap my mind around what he did.

"I'm sorry, Jane. For everything."

"I know. I accept your apology, but I can't forgive you. At least not yet." In a chain reaction, he started crying and I followed suit.

"You were like a sister to me and I did this to you. I put Maura's life in danger and I brought that monster back. I'm the last person you owe anything to, but whatever happens to me, will you look out for my family? Avi's going to be okay, but the boys are going to take it hard." His tears came faster now and his face was turning red. Regardless of what he had done, I would never in a million years take out my anger for Jonathan on his family. In the end, he did the right thing and let Maura go. He manned up and admitted his guilt and now faced punishment for his actions.

"I will. I'll make sure that they're okay." Jonathan nodded and his posture relaxed, like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders.

 **R &I**

Maura's hand was wrapped tight in my own as we stood towards the front of the crowd of people gathered for the Council meeting. After I left the Warriors Barracks earlier this morning, I went back home and just held onto her. Now, we were all gathered to see what Jonathan's punishment would be.

"Many of you are aware of what transpired yesterday afternoon, but for those of you who do not, Warrior Jonathan lured Warrior Jane and Healer Maura out into a clearing where Charles Hoyt was laying in wait." A collective gasp and mummers went up then and a few even let out quiet rumbles of a growl.

"After releasing Maura, Jonathan returned to Sanctuary and confessed to his treason against his sisters. After this...incident happened, I along with the Council spoke to the women and even though they have been betrayed, they harbor no ill will against this man." Chief Cavanaugh paused and scanned the crowd. Me and Maura were standing to the left of where he was and almost directly across from us was Avi and the boys. The oldest boy was about eight and was leaning against his mother while the youngest was curled up in her arms. So far she hadn't looked this way and there was a part of me that wished she would.

"After taking their accounts into consideration and deliberating with the Elders, we have decided that Jonathan will be stripped of his title and will be exiled for no more and no less than one year." Immediately, the crowd began talking and yelling, but a sharp whistle from Cavanaugh silenced all.

"Once the year is up, he is welcome to return and his standing within our community will be evaluated. It has also come to my attention that as of this morning and despite what has happened, Jane has vowed to Jonathan that she will personally look after his wife and children in his absence." Maura's hand tightened even more in my own. My name fell from lip in a whisper and when I met her hazel gaze, I could see the concern swirling within.

"Are you sure about this, Jane? Avi might not be too keen in the idea." While she was a hundred percent correct, it was something I had to do and I told her as much.

"What happened to us is on him. Avi and their boys are just as innocent as you and me in all of this; them even more that us, even. I can't just look away when I know things are going to be rough without him." She nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed herself against my side.

"Jonathan will have the rest of today and until lunch tomorrow to be with his family before he cast out. Council has concluded and you are all dismissed." Without hesitation, the crowd began to go their own ways and a few of my fellow warriors clasped me on the shoulder as they passed by. I appreciated the sympathy and the solidarity they showed, but the action itself felt we had won something, but both sides were losers. Maura and I had to deal with whatever mental issues we had, Jonathan had to deal with an entire year of being away from his family and out on his own, while his wife and their young sons had to fend for themselves.

Among the last to leave was Avi and the boys. The older woman had remained glued to her spot, eyes piercing their way through mine. I could see the anger and the devastation and the worry clear across the forty or so feet.

I couldn't blame her. Finally, she took her oldest son by the hand and led him away; his little feet dragging on the ground.

 _His mate is going to have an incredibly difficult year. Their cubs, too._

Probably, but I'll do everything that I can to make sure that they make it through this year unscathed.

Maura pulled away and the action brought my full attention back to her. She grabbed onto my hand again and began pulling me in the direction of where Ma's house was.

"C'mon. Your mother is expecting us at her place for breakfast, no doubt she'll have questions about what happened and no, we can't avoid your mother forever, Jane." The sudden sass that gave caught me off guard and an a genuine laugh escaped from my belly and had my cat rumbling in amusement.

"Yes, ma'am. Dinner tonight is just gonna be me and you, okay?"

"Okay."

 **R &I**

Visiting Ma actually wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. She was her usual slightly overbearing self and she asked a lot of questions, but I think she knew that Maura and I needed a little more time to get back to our usual normal. Franke, on the other hand, went a little out of his way be a pain in the ass. He did it in good faith and I appreciated his distraction tactics. Maura did too. Which is exactly how we found ourselves in our current situation.

"There's no way you guys are gonna beat us. I have the best team in the history of teams." Surrounding Frankie was a group of the kids he occasionally mentored. The oldest ones were about fifteen years old and the youngest were five or six years old. Surrounding me were the group of kids that I mentored of the same age range.

"Oh yeah? You wanna bet?" Frankie had crossed his arms over his chest, a smug smile on his face.

"What's a bet?" Lizzie, a little girl in my group, asked.

"A bet is like a competition. It would be you and your group with Jane against Frankie and his group." Maura answered and the little girl took a moment to think over the new information.

"Like war? Or tag?" Her dark eyes were wide with excitement and I nodded.

"Just like war or tag. Now, what do you guys think? Should we do the bet?" Before I could even finish the question, my kids were cheering and the younger ones were making faces at Frankie and his kids. Almost as fast, Frankies kids were doing the same thing and throwing weak insults back and forth. On the sidelines, a majority of the parents were smiling and shaking their heads, no doubt getting ready for over excited children.

"Alright, what should the challenge be?" All the kids began shouting ideas and it was on the verge of getting crazy when Maura stepped in again.

"How about whichever team ties string to people without getting caught wins?" The kids mulled it over before agreeing. I looked to Frankie and he just shrugged, a smile on his face.

"Sounds good to me. Alright, Maura, since you're the designated referee, what are the rules?" His smile grew bigger at Maura's shocked expression.

"You didn't think you were gonna get out of this did you, babe?" She shot me half-hearted glare that only made my own smile grow.

"Okay everyone, the rules are this: One, you cannot get caught tying the strings. If you get caught, your point does not count Two, only people who do not live in your house count. That means that you can't put a string on your parents or your siblings. Three, each person counts as one point so make sure that you keep track of them. And four, you can not remove the other team's strings. If you get caught taking a string, you will lose points. Does everyone understand the rules?" All the kids on both sides nodded until a teen on Frankie's side nudged him.

"What's up?"

"How will we tell which string belongs to which team?" That was a good question. I looked to my brother and made a suggestion.

"How 'bout we dye the strings. Your team gets one color and mine gets another."

"Alright, which color do we want, guys?" the twenty or so kids began spouting off a rainbow of colors and my own began to do the same. From neutral territory, Maura called on two of the younger children to choose. Erik, from Frankie's team, chose green. Lilly, from my group, chose yellow. Once the deciding colors had been chosen, another good question came up. This time, from an teen girl on my team.

"Will there be extra points if we manage to tie a string on anyone else?" Maura tapped her lip before nodding.

"Two points if you manage to string Jane or Frankie, five points for the Chief, and eight for the Elders. Does that sound fair?" Again everyone nodded the parents quickly made themselves scarce. There was no way they were going to get caught up in our bet sooner than they needed to.

"Alright, little brother. You have yourself a bet."

"May the best team win."

The next hour was spent cutting lengths of string with the kids before they were sent on their way to plan their tactics. Many of the older kids had agreed to watch over the younger ones so that they didn't get stuck. While they off doing their own thing, Frankie and I would make the respective dye colors and get the team strings prepared for the day after tomorrow.

Maura sat across from me at our little table while Frankie sat at the head.

"I can't believe you gave up Cavanaugh and the Elders. That was a bold move, Maura." She looked to my brother and shrugged.

"The older kids respect them enough to know not to bother them and Cavanaugh and the Elders can't get mad at the little ones. Besides, the younger children are more likely to get caught than the older ones. So in a way, it evens out."

 _That is actually quite clever. Our imprint is something, isn't she? Perhaps this bet between you and your brother is going to be more fun than I had thought._

I smiled at my feline companion's thought.

You say that now, but just wait until you've got children tying string to your tail every fifteen minutes. She huffed and I could feel her rolling her eyes.

It wouldn't be another several weeks before all the strings were gone and a winner was declared. During a good portion of that time, the adults couldn't get mad at the children. For the first time in a long time, the children were genuinely happy and excited about something as trivial as tying strings on one another and we ended up with more children joining either my team or Frankie's team than we had originally started with.

In all, the children had had a blast with the challenge and had practically begged for another. However, we came to an agreement that once the cold season was over and Spring came around, we could have another big challenge and they readily agreed.

"You're turning into quite the big softie, Jane." Maura's quip was met with a snort from Frankie and I looked up at her across the table.

"Maybe I am, but you're stuck with me now." She smiled and leaned over the small width of the table.

"And that's fine by me." I met her half way and ignored Frankie's playful retching noises in favor of Maura's kiss.

 **R &I**

 **Quick A/N's: Monday means a new chapter and this one takes place the morning after the last one. After this one, there is only going to be a few chapters left, but I have decided that there will be a sequel (possibly 30-40 chapters) if you guys would be interested. I just wanted to address and wrap up Jonathan's involvement in this chapter and then the next chapter will be a time jump of a few weeks before we get to the last important event.**

 **When I called Jane and Maura Jonathan's sisters, I didn't mean it in the literal way. Men and women who are of no relation don't have non related brothers or sisters until after they are already mated or "married" to someone because before then, everyone is a potential husband or wife. After that point, everyone becomes brother/sister to people of the same age or aunt/uncle to people younger than them. On occasion, grandmother/grandfather can be used to address the Elders. Sanctuary is essentially one big family of people both related and not related. I hope that makes at least a little sense.**

 **The last three chapters will be something along the lines of:**

 **-Chapter 18: Just some preparation for the bonding ceremony and a few outside characters return to help out.**

 **-Chapter 19: The actual bonding ceremony and a little fluff, maybe even a little steaminess ;)**

 **-Chapter 20: Epilogue and Maura's first full year in Sanctuary. It also sets up some stuff for the yet to be named sequel. I'll let you guys know what it is when I get it started.**

 **sally rally:** I didn't think I was gonna like this story, but I was so wrong. I'm so glad I stayed with it. And if it never ends, that will be too soon. Thank you so much for sharing. I think you are brilliant.

 **Response:** Thank you! I'm very glad that you're enjoying the story so far and I hope that I continue to live up to yours and everyone else's expectations.

 **MarCor3:** Yes, I was right - it is Maura who stabbed Hoyt in the stomach...or chest, but not the neck?!

Anyway, you'd said that they've left something behind - I'm guessing the knife?!

I really wished that Jane and Maura didn't leave the scene, now they may be haunted by Hoyt's 'ghost' (paranoia, for sure!)...

Awe, what a sweet, lovable offering of Jane to make her love a ring band...an official marriage proposal! As for child-rearing is concerned of these two women - I see adoption in their future...

Trying to go by it with artificial insemination - blah, its too sciency for their natural inhabitants...if it does happens, let it be by some miracle!

Oh and btw, where the hell is Maura's family?!

Was there even a search party for her body, damn?!

And too, I wonder what type of punishment the elders will be issuing to Jonathon - banned from the village community?!

 **Response:** I don't think I could ever be a spy because you would know my next move before I even know if I'm gonna make it, lol. I can say that Maura stabbed Hoyt in the torso, but as for the knife, there's something else that she left behind. I thought about drawing out that scene in the clearing, but ultimately, I thought that Jane would have wanted to get Maura away from the one thing in her life that brought the most darkness to it, and obviously she wanted to get the hell out of there, too. The bonding ceremony is the equivalent to a normal marriage ceremony, except the people of Sanctuary don't normally exchange rings. Like Jane said, she felt bad that she had neglected to take Maura's customs into account so that's where the ring comes into play. I felt the same way about artificial insemination; it was too out there for the community, but I can confirm that there will be some kind of adoption in the future. As for Maura's family, there was a search party and we will actually be learning more of all that in the future.

 **luckypenguinbuddy:** Well, I sure hope Hoyt is dead but your comment makes me worried that he's not. It did sort of surprise me that Jane, being a warrior, didn't drag him back to imprison him needing to be sure. Though I understand getting Maura to safety was a priority at the time. And a big awww for Jane giving Maura a handmade ring. Thanks for sharing. Happy writing.

 **Response:** *evil laugh* A magician can only reveal so many tricks. Most of your comment was answered in my previous response, but I am very glad that you are enjoying my story so far. I will tell you that I hope you're prepared to buckle in for the ride because things are going to get wild.

 **Raz GoA:** Well now you've tipped your hand on the money thing. If Maura's parents did pop up looking for her then what would stop them from fronting it and as for keeping her being alive a secrete... money can easily keep people from saying a damn thing. I'm really hoping you wedge that competition in there somewhere. I'm expecting there to be a few nightmares after this. I'm looking forward to the next one.

 **Response:** I had thought about what Maura would do with her money if she were to die or be declared dead, and I'm not sure if they addressed this in the show or not, but I envisioned her leaving all her money to various charities. It seems like a bad answer and I honestly don't like it myself, but I'm still working on something that addresses her money and her parents later on. As for the competition, I've added a little bit here, but I will definitely be adding more in future chapters.

 **Harley Quinn Davison:** Love the story and can not wait for more.

 **Response:** Thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying it as much as I am.

 **Born Reader:** WoW! You have a sense of drama! It's not finished isn't it?

 **Response:** I think I've always had a flare for the dramatic. I hope my A/N above answered your question about finishing chapters.

 **Guest:** Amazing! YEHHHHH! *roar*

 **Response:** Thank you! Jane's cat sends you her love!

 **Last A/N: if you guys want, start sending me any names you gave have. I've got a running list of all the people mentioned so far, so I need names for them and a few important characters for later on. If you want me guys to post that with an updated list of names, careers and shifter status, I can do that too with my weekly updates (if needed). I need to come up with a name for Jane's symbiont. I feel bad just calling her Cat or Symbiont all the time so send me any suggestions you have for her, too.**

 **As always thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, or followed this story or me. It means a lot and it makes writing for you all so worth it. Also, feel free to send any ideas you guys have and I'll try my best to include it where I can.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 is the second to last official chapter (#20 is an epilogue) and this one takes place a couple of weeks after the last one. Some characters will be coming back a few more will be making their appearances later on. Eventually, I will be bringing in all the characters but it may take me some time.**

 **Jane's symbiont in** _Italics_

 **As usual, I don't own anything recognizable and all unfamiliar characters are mine.**

 **R &I**

Omniscient p.o.v

The last few weeks had been calmer than Jane had thought they would be. After all the drama with Jonathan and Hoyt, she had taken some time to just be with Maura. At first, they had secluded themselves away from Jane's family and some of their friends...mostly. Dinners were spent with Angela most nights and Frankie often stopped by for lunch, but the rest of the day was spent with just the other. The late hours after dinner were favored by both women. In those moments, they were the only two beings who existed in the entire world.

In the first days following the incidents, Jane and Maura had been temporarily relieved from their duties with the gentle orders of self care before returning. That first night-and every night after-they held each other in a vice grip should the darkness return and attempt to steal one of them from their bed as they slept. Even now weeks out, Jane had a difficult time taking her eyes off of her soon to be mate as the blonde dressed for the day. Well, if she were being honest, always had a hard time not watching Maura but that was beside the point. The point was, within a matter of days, the blonde would be forever hers and she herself would be forever Maura's. The thought alone was enough to send an excited thrill down her spine.

"Has your mother said when Tommy and T.J. are arriving?" The honeyed voice sucked the brunette from her internal musings. Jane shook her head and leaned forward on the table. Almost a week ago, a letter from Tommy had made its way to Angela via one of the supply runs.

"She told me that Tommy and Little Man are supposed to get here by tomorrow night. If they don't get delayed, then they'll be here soon." Maura nodded and finished tying the knot on her pants before moving around the table and settling herself across Jane's lap. Strong arms immediately locked around a petite waist and pulled her in closer. The blonde wrapped her arms across Jane's shoulder in turn, causing the taller women lean in and nuzzle the spot below Maura's ear.

"We have five days, fourteen hours, and twenty-three minutes left." Still buried against the healers neck, Jane hummed and pressed her lips against a strong shoulder.

"We do, don't we? Do you know how many seconds there are, too, Ms. Smarty Pants?" The question was asked in jest, but she knew that there was a very high chance that the doctor had literally been counting down the seconds, too.

"I do. Would you like me to keep a running countdown for you?" Jane could feel the vibrations of Maura's words against her lips. Kissing her way up the column of a pale throat, a sharp jaw, and over petal soft lips, the brunette shook her head.

"Nah, I believe you. Besides, if you started, you'd be counting for forever." Maura chuckled and pressed her own lips to Jane's for a brief moment before standing on her own two feet. The taller woman had begun to give her the patented pout and it only caused Maura to smile. "We have to get a move on. You're still needed for the hunting trip and I need to go finish helping your mother. We'll have more time for...that...later."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now, get going. Leo isn't going to be happy if you are late." Grumbling, Jane flung herself forward and off her chair, snagging her bow and quiver from it's mounted rest on the wall.

"Alright, I'm going...I'm going. Tell Ma I'll stop by later. Love you." Sneaking in one last kiss, Jane slipped her bow over her shoulder and bustled out of the little home, Maura's own proclamation of love echoing around her.

 **R &I**

Jane's p.o.v

"Rizzoli! 'Bout damn time you showed up. I was gonna send someone to make sure that you were still alive." Leo's booming voice was hard to miss. It was loud like thunder and on occasion, had the ability to shake the Earth. Despite his massive size and rumbling baritone of a voice, the guy was the biggest softie I had ever met. He lived for his family and absolutely adored his son.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Calm down big guy. The deer aren't going anywhere soon. Why are you picking on me anyway? No one else is even here yet." I slug my bow back over my shoulder and propped one end on top of my foot and leaned forward against it. Leo kicked off from his spot against the wall to the Warriors Barracks and slung his own bow across his shoulders.

"It's just me an' you today, girlie. I think you intimidate some of the other guys with your good aim. Makes them feel incompetent or somethin'." Even though I had just shrugged it off, I slung my bow back on once again.

 _Perhaps you should just leave it where it is until you are ready to use it._

Really now? Why didn't I think of that?

Ignoring my Cat's all too familiar sarcasm, I lengthened my strides to catch up to Leo's gigantic ones. We walked through the middle and outer boundaries in a companionable silence and by the time we made it out into the Middle, we had been walking for nearly twenty minutes. I've known Leo for literally my entire life and the guy was never quiet.

"Hey, what's up, man? You're unusually quiet. Is Lilly okay? Is Alex okay?" He nodded but continued on.

"They're okay. Lilly told me to tell you 'hello' and Alex wants to know when you'll finally start teaching him to fight. Should I be jealous that my son is so taken with you?" His words were even but I could see the glint of humor in his dark eyes. Nudging him with my shoulder did little to disrupt the path he was walking but he laughed all the same.

"Nah, I'm just his favorite person outside of you and Lilly. Seriously though, as soon as you and the Missus give the okay, I'll start working with Alex. He's still too little for most of the training stuff, but I could get him started on climbing and sneaking and all the easy stuff. Besides, I already promised him that I would be his mentor when his time came." A rustling a little ways in front of us immediately stopped us in our tracks. Almost in sync, Leo and I drew our bows and notched an arrow. He made a gesture with his hand and began to veer towards the right. I went left and took carefully measured steps, one foot in front of the other and my body crouched low to the ground.

Across a little clearing, I could just make out the crouched form of Leo in a low hanging tree. Directly between us was a decently sized buck. Mating season had already passed and there were no doe's nearby so the buck was now fair game. Drawing the arrow back, I brought my thumb in line with my mouth and counted my breaths.

 _One_

…

 _Two_

…

 _Three_

…

 _Release_

I held my breath and let the arrow fly, watching as it sailed through the air and lodged itself between two ribs. The buck fell to the ground and spasmed for a moment before going completely still. Leo dropped from his tree and secured his bow once more. He smiled.

"Nice shot, Jane. Now let's get this thing dressed and head back." Sliding his knife from his belt loop, he began field dressing the carcass and I jumped in to help. By custom, I was granted the right to claim the best and most portions of meat but since Leo had a family to feed and I was mainly bringing meat for Maura and I, I split the entire buck evenly with Leo and ignored his protests.

Once everything was packed and cleaned up, Leo and I began to head back home.

"Hey, Jane."

"Yeah?"

"Avi came to see me yesterday. About you." The admission took me by surprise and I nearly tripped over a wandering root.

"Did she-what did she say?" I could hear and feel my heart hammering in my chest. I still felt so guilty about what happened to Jonathan even though it was his own actions that got him where he is now. I guess I felt bad for Avi and their boys more than I felt bad for him.

"She wanted to know how you and Maura were doing. She feel bad that she's been rude to you these last few weeks, but she's still trying to figure out how to live without her mate. Imagine if you and Maura were separated for an entire year, let alone being separated from your cubs, too." Leo had a point. Avi and Jonathan had been together for almost ten years. Their bond was far closer than the one I shared with Maura at this point. My imprint with her was already solid and would always be, but as the years went on, it would only solidify further.

"How are the boys doing?" Avi could handle herself just fine, but she had two young boys to look after as well. Leo sighed and pushed his hair back from his face.

"The youngest one, Koda, is doing well enough. He's still too little to really understand what's going on with his father. Nik, on the other hand, has started acting up. He's being more defiant and getting into trouble with the other kids during their afternoon lessons. Avi asked if there was something I could do to help Nik get his act together, but since you vowed to Jon that you would take care of Avi and the boys, there's not much I can do." I shook my head and adjusted my grasp on my pack.

"I've already tried talking to her but she just brushes me off. Maybe I need to give her some more time and let her come to me when she's ready. Maybe she'll open up to Ma or Maura." Leo shook his head and dismissed the idea.

"Nah, you gotta let her come to you when she's ready. When Avi showed up at my place yesterday, she looked close to her breaking point. I honestly don't think that it'll be long before she's ready to talk."

 **R &I**

After parting ways with Leo and heading to Ma's house, I slipped my bag off of my shoulder and was about to call for my mother or Maura when another voice called my name instead.

"Hey, Janie." Here, in my mother's kitchen was my father.

"Pop? What are you doing here?" The last time I had seen him had been the night he and Tommy left. Now, he was standing not even ten feet from me looking almost the same as he had back then.

"I wouldn't miss my baby girls ceremony for the world." Pop just looked at me and took the time to study him. His hair had gone from a jet black—like mine—to a salt and pepper look with more salt than pepper. He had added a few extra pounds and his skin had taken on a more aged look, but other than that, he still looked like the Pop I remembered.

"You look good, Janie. How's work treating you? Are the guys giving you a hard time?" I know he meant well and was genuinely trying to make up for lost time, but I couldn't help but feel a little weirded out by it all. Hefting the bag with the deer meat onto the table and anchoring my bow and quiver on the back of a chair, I hooked my thumbs into my pockets and looked around.

"Thanks. The guys are pretty great and the ones that get to be too much usually feel the wrath of Frankie...or me. Speaking of Frankie, where did he and Ma go? I told them that I would be back before noon." Pop did that little shuffle and scratched the back of his head that let me know he was growing uncomfortable. It's kinda sad how uncomfortable and awkward we had become.

"She and Frankie took Tommy and the baby to go say hello to someone in the Healer Cabins. They left about twenty minutes ago and should be back soon." That was the last thing either of us said until everyone else piled through the front door. If they noticed the tension, they didn't say anything. Ma was the first through the door and upon spotting me and the bag, she took the satchel and began sifting through its contents, taking out bundle after bundle of carefully wrapped meat. Frankie and Tommy were the next ones through the door and after hugging Tommy tightly, I turned my attention to Maura and T.J.

Even though it had been a. Few weeks since the boy was here last, he still obviously remembered Maura and was currently quite contentedly curled against her front, a handful of blonde locks in one hand and a small wooden figurine in the other.

"Hey, buddy. I missed you. Do you think you can give Aunt Jane a hug?" He seemed to think it over for a second before he reached out with a big toothy smile. Teeth were definitely a new addition. Setting him on my hip, I kissed the top of his head and blew a raspberry on his cheek. I had been so absorbed in making my nephew laugh that I hadn't realized that Pop and Maura had yet to be properly introduced. I handed T.J. Back to his father and sidled up next to Maura.

"Pop, I'd like you to meet Maura, my imprint. Maura, this is my father, Frank senior." Maura held out her hand and waited for Pop to shake it. In the meantime, she plastered a genuine smile on her face and greeted him on her own.

"Mr. Rizzoli, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot of nice things from Jane and the guys." That seemed to finally snap him out of wherever his mind was at. He took Maura's smaller hand in is own and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Maura. I hope what my kids have been telling you were, uh, nice things." He pulled back and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. "Why don't you all go catch up with Tommy and I'll help your mother with the meat. We can all catch up later." He turned and began helping Ma sort out the meat and when I met Tommy and Frankie's gaze, both men just shrugged and went outside. A soft pressure on my arm grabbed my attention and hazel eyes captivated my own brown ones.

"C'mon. Let's go make sure the boys don't get into more trouble." I let her lead us the same way the guys had went off to, finding them sat by the smoldering fire pit. The winter season had officially begun and the temperatures were beginning to drop. While they wouldn't get nearly as cold as some other parts of the world, they cooled off enough for us to feel the differences and to add extra blankets to our beds at night.

Taking a seat across from Tommy, I pulled Maura down to sit next to me but when T.J reached out grubby little hands, she found a spot between Tommy and I and settled there instead.

"Not that I don't love seeing you guys, but what's up with Pop?" Tommy leaned forward and began to chew on his lip, a habit that all three of us Rizzoli siblings shared.

"I went to his place for dinner one night a week or so back and the topic of you and Ma and Frankie came up. I told him how you were all doing and all the new things that were going on and I might have let it slip that you and Maura were having your Bonding ceremony in a few days. After that, he practically begged me to let him tag along; said that he would never forgive himself if he missed it. I packed T.J. up a day early, picked up Pop, and started comin this way."

The four of us were silent for a while with the only noise coming from the baby.

"So, you guys have everything set for next week?" Frankie asked. Out of all of us, he hated weird silences the most.

"Mostly. I have to go back out for a few more deer and start grabbing some of the clay, but other than that, I'm good. How 'bout you, Maur. You got everything?" She nodded and continued to play with T.J.

"Like you, all I need is the clay and the ingredients for the dye. Everything else that I need is stashed away in my section at the Healers Cabin." She paused for a moment and her brow creased in thought. "Actually, I have one more thing that I have to get, but that's a surprise for you for later." I don't know where the innuendo came into play, alright maybe I did, but both Tommy and Frankie made disgusted faces retching noises.

"You two are disgusting and there's a baby here! Have you no shame?" Frankie continued on with the noises and Tommy flopped over onto his back. Seeing the opportunity, I took it.

"Just you wait until next week. Word of advice, you two might want to steer clear of my place for a while unless you want hear some pretty interesting noises." The taunt had it's desired effect as they both flew up and ran off, leaving Maura and I to collapse into hysterics.

"That was not nice, Jane. Now you've gone and scarred them for life." Her eyes were welling with tears as her laughter subsided. Leaning over, I pressed a quick kiss into her cheek and plucking my nephew from her lap.

"Maybe so, but they started it." Maura rolled her eyes and pulled T.J.'s fingers away from the bright yellow string tied around one grubby fist. If anything, these next few days were going to be pretty interesting.

 **R &I**

 **sweetkid45:** Am glad that it will be a sequel cause I was going to ask if their was going to be was an awesome chapter!I feel sorry for jon's family for the mistake that he made,but at the same time am glad he got what he got.

 **Response:** It took me a while to figure out what to do with Jonathan, but in the end, I felt like the punishment he got was enough. A year away from his soul mate and your children can do a lot to you. Let's hope he makes it through the next year.

 **MarCor3:** Woah, so it was banned away from the Community and his family hm, I almost thought that Jane was beating his ass but obviously I guess some of the Warriors did it for her lol, anyway serves him right *PUNCH!*

...

Afterwards, loved the friendly community game activity amongst Jane, Frankie, Maura, and the Community as a whole...

Glad that there will be more upcoming activities for the kids and community soon!

...

Wow a sequel - absolutely perfect, because this fic story has so much more to cover still, thanks!

...

I just didn't appreciate Jonathan's wife attitude towards Jane and Maura, bitter bih...

Oh yeah too, the other thing that was missing - is Maura's bag, but what's in it besides her medical stuff hm?!

...

And about Jane's cat name hm, let's see...

It's a black panther right so,

\- Skylar

\- Goya

\- Azizi

Also too, thanks for responding back to our comments views - I feel some kind of special [wink]..

 **Response:** I debated having Jane kick his ass a little, and she came very close to doing so, but I thought that it wouldn't fit what I was going for. Yeah, he screwed up royally and literally almost got Jane and Maura killed, but she was able to identify with the part of Jonathan that she saw in herself when they were younger and the part of herself that she still sees: The almost desperate need to protect your family no matter the cost.

Tbh, I don't blame Jonathan's mate at all. Sure, the anger and attitude may be misplaced, but she now has to face an entire year away from her mate while making sure that her sons are okay and will continue to be so. We got a little glimpse into Avi through Leo this chapter, but we will finally get a face to face and heart to heart interaction between both women in the next chapter.

Thank you for the names! I'll definitely add them to the running list of names I have. If you've got anymore, feel free to send them my way.

 **General:** There were quite a few of you who came up with Maura's bag and while it is one of the things left behind, we don't know for sure what was in there, but knowing Maura, she probably had some really good and strong stuff in there.

 **I'm not as happy with this chapter as I thought I would be, but we are nearing the end and I promise to be more detailed and well planned out going forward.** **While it is technically Tuesday in my timezone, I'm passing this chapter off on still being on the Monday schedule so that I could have included your lovely reviews.**

 **Also, when I was coming up with Leo, I imagined him as looking similar to Jason Momoa, but feel free to run off with whatever you imagined him as.**

 **Thank you to everyone who Favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. It means a lot to me and now that we are nearing the end, it's almost a bittersweet feeling.**

 **I hope you guys decide to stay on for these last two chapters and then for whatever comes after.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-SilentDaughter**


	19. Update

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and that I haven't forgotten about you lovelies or this story and after receiving some reviews, I thought you all deserved some explanation about why I've been gone for so long.

In the last three and a half months I've had to put my childhood dog to sleep, my mom had brain surgery, both sides of my family lost their matriarchs, and my community college 'misplaced' a ton of my credits which resulted in my having to stay an additional semester and play telephone tag with the heads of various departments.

Needless to say I've had a lot of stress and shit on my plate to deal with, but I have not forgotten about you guys. You all and this story mean so much to me and I promise that I will finish it. All I ask for is just a little more patience while I go back through the next chapters and get everything sorted out and back on track.

I'll keep to the Monday update schedule but since I don't have to worry about college until the fall again, I'll try to work out another update day (most likely during the weekend).

I hope you guys had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and until next time,

-SilentDaughter


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